Top Ten Stories of Our First Year and a Shout Out to Our Readers

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Blue Flame blog, a year of finding stories of value and sharing them with diesel enthusiasts. It's really been a remarkable year in many respects. We truly appreciate all of you who have made time to visit here over the course of the year. 

When we began this endeavor one year ago today we were fairly certain that there was an unmet desire for diesel-related news, hence our desire to become your diesel performance resource center.

We've now posted 261 unique blog posts by 11:00 a.m., Monday through Friday since September 1, 2021 in the heart of the pandemic. The average reader is spending nearly six minutes on the blog per visit. Thank you for your interest. We're delighted that there is always something to talk about when it comes to diesel. And if there's something you'd like to see that we're not covering, please let us know in the comments.

What follows are links to our Top 10 stories of this past year. 

10 

According to Shelby American president Gary Patterson, they created the Super Baja by combining all the best features and experience they'd gained from the  Shelby Raptor and Shelby F-150 programs. Phoebe Wall Howard described it as something "for that special someone who has everything."

Read: Shelby F-250 Super Baja Limited: The Epitome of Diesel Cool

9 
Automotive News editors were intrigued that whenever they had long discussions with auto industry leaders, somehow the conversation often drifted to racing. The editors came to realize that racing was itself a microcosm of the industry. 

Read: The East Coast Diesel Nationals and Thoughts on Why Motorsports Competition Matters

8 
It's late summer now, but fall is in the air and winter around the corner. What follows are a few areas to focus on, extracted from an article by Whitney Russell that appeared in The NewsWheel.

Photo courtesy Chevrolet

Read: Getting Your Diesel Truck Ready for Winter

7 
If you're a diesel guy you're probably have a few ideas about how to produce more power. Nevertheless, if you aspire to play with the big boys you'll want to make sure your fundamentals are covered. Afterwards you can add your own secret sauce.

Read: How to Get More Power from Your Diesel 

6 
Viscosity control? Shear stability? TBN retention? Confused? Best to start your search by understanding your application; tractor pulling, drag racing, stationary, street, off-road, etc. Answering these five simple questions will help you zero in on the right oil for your truck's specific needs.

Read: Five Questions to Help You Pick the Right Diesel Engine Oil

5
The National Association of Diesel Motorsports (NADM) announced Champion Blue Flame Performance Diesel Engine Oil as the official oil for this year's annual East Coast Diesel Nationals held at Numidia Dragway in July.  

Read: East Coast Diesel Nationals Picks Champion Blue Flame as Official Oil

4 
There are five reasons diesels are such torque monsters. Here's a deeper dive into the details.

Read: The Biggest Reason We Love Diesels: More Torque

3

The 7'1" former NBA All Star doesn't always have an easy time finding a vehicle he can comfortably drive. The Drive gives an account of the steps Shaq took to find a ride more suited to his special needs and tastes.

Read:  Shaq Goes Big with a Diesel Ford F-650

2  
This was a big story for us. Shelby American is recommending Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil  for its new Ford Shelby F-250 Super Baja, a Limited-Edition off-roading pick-up truck. 

Read: Champion Blue Flame Diesel Engine Oil Recommended for Limited-Edition Shelby F-250 Super Baja Pick-Up

 
1 

Diesel drag racers were invited to participate in the Champion Blue Flame contingency program. The response has been such that this became our most read blog post of the past year

Read: Blue Flame Contingency Program Rewards Diesel Drag Racers

 

THE BLUE FLAME BLOG has been designed to be a destination for owners, enthusiasts  and fans of diesel vehicles. From the start our goal has been to create a one-stop spot to stay informed, discuss, share and learn about all things diesel. As diesel fans, supporters and critics, we value and appreciate your participation in generating diesel related content. If you have ideas for stories, please leave comments or send an email to BlueFlame1952@gmail.com

Shaq Goes Big with a Diesel Ford F-650

The power of Celebrity Culture never ceases to amaze me. When the Internet came along, Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park) told the Washington Press Club that Television would go the way of the dinosaur within ten years, eclipsed by all the content available on the Internet. Ten years later, when social media came along, what did people talk about? They talked about what was happening on televison. Shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer now have one thing in common. They underscore how much we love our celebrities. 

Sports heroes, rock stars and Hollywood celebs are all around us. When we go to the SEMA Show in Vegas, which culminates today with SEMA360 for 2020, the longest lines are for signatures by TV carbuilders and NASCAR drivers. We buy the sunglasses they wear and enjoy reading about the cars they drive. That's why this article about Shaquille O'Neal's daily drive is fun to read. 

The article begins by noting that at 7'1" the former NBA All Star doesn't always have an easy time finding a vehicle he can comfortably drive.  To resolve this issue Shaq went to Wade Ford in Smyrna, Georgia and SuperTruck in Augusta. Max Goldberg, writing for The Drive in 2017, describes the vehicle they created for him.

It started as a 66K Ford F-650 and ended as a Ford F-650 Extreme SuperTruck. In addition to all the amenities of a luxury vehicle on the inside, under the hood you'll find a commercial grade .6.7-liter Powerstroke V8 that makes 330 horsepower and 750 lb0ft of torque. The big man has a big truck with big power.

Most of us became aware of Shaq's superstar potential even when he was in college at LSU where he was a two-time All-American. A #1 draft pick by the Orlando Magic, he helped the Magic win 20 games more than their previous season and was voted Rookie of the Year. In his second year he helped the team ascend to the playoffs for the first time in its history. Over the course of his career he became a 15-time NBA All Star and helped his teams win 4 NBA Championships. The Rings speak volumes.

There's plenty more to Shaq than what we saw on the courts. His interest in rap music led to his producing five albums with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. He even performed with Michael Jackson on 2 Bad.  

Like many celebs Shaq has had many nicknames. He called himself "The Big Aristotle" and "Hobo Master for his composure during interviews. Journalists gave him a variety of other nicknames including "The Diesel", "The Big Daddy", and "The Big Cactus." (Among many others.)

Being popular opens doors and so its no surprise he's been in some movies as well as numerous television shows, advertising and even pro wrestling. 

All this say it was fun seeing the range of Shaq's interests. It's apparent he worked hard, and made a lot of good moves. At one time he was just a little boy with a lot of big dreams.

Here's the article about his Big Diesel Truck.

And a YouTube video about 10 Ridiculously Expensive Things Shaq Owns.

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Photo at the White House taken when the Heat won the Championship. (Shaq holds the ball.)
Photo at top of page borrowed from The Drive.