Lifestyle and Recreation

January 1st, 2008

A New Day

NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow could bring back the racing action of yesterday

By Larry Woody

There’s automotive irony in the fact that the most distinctive feature of NASCAR’s new Car of Tomorrow is its detached rear wing — reminiscent of a 1970s-vintage Dodge Charger or Plymouth Superbird. And there’s even more in the hope that the new car will bring back old-fashioned racing. Whether the latter will succeed remains unknown, but one thing is certain:…

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January 1st, 2008

Bobbing for Bobwhites

Quail hunting in the Texas winter

By David Hart

A buck with a rack larger than anything I’ve seen in years prances across the ranch driveway. It’s late December and deer season is in full swing in the Texas Panhandle. But my cousin Shannon and I aren’t here to chase whitetails. We are after quail. Joe, the rancher who owns this 9,000-acre corner of Texas heaven, has set aside…

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January 1st, 2008

Auto Pilot

Driverless trucks make soldiers safer

By Justine Ingersoll

There’s one thing missing from OshKosh Truck Co.’s new model: a driver! The lime-green TerraMax truck navigates traffic and avoids obstacles on the road without a human at the wheel. But OshKosh isn’t trying to put professional drivers out of a job or make owner-operators obsolete. The vehicle is intended for military use only, and its creation was mandated by…

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January 1st, 2008

Up, Up and Away

A flying car may be here sooner than you think

By Jeannie Naujeck

Have you seen that bumper sticker, “I’d Rather Be Flying”? Well, soon a car and a plane may be one and the same. Terrafugia, a Massachusetts company, is developing a car/light plane hybrid called the Transition that should be available to consumers by 2009 for an estimated $148,000. Owners can drive it to the nearest small airport and, with the…

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