The primary sponsor, the natural gas industry did not know how to exploit the achievement. They had some initial publicity but even used the wrong (mile) speed in their PR. I have been working 50 years to correct that. The Blue Flame absolute world land speed record was 630.388 miles per hour (1,014.656 kilometers per hour) for the flying start kilometer.
Goodyear Tire Company would have/should have been the major publicity generator for Gary and The Blue Flame. Gary, listening to awful advice from his California posse, refused to sign a publicity contract with Goodyear. That cost him a tidy sum, continued racing sponsorship, and recognition of his driving achievement. It also cost The Blue Flame team recognition for designing, building, and record setting - the first over 1,000 kilometers per hour - the kilometer record not broken for 27 years.
Goodyear's initial short-lived publicity even erased Gary's name from the photos of the car. They continued to promote Breedlove.
Now, even the National Museum of American History's new exhibit - A Nation of Speed - has sidelined The Blue Flame's achievement as the LAST AMERICAN CAR AND DRIVER TO SET THE ABSOLUTE WORLD LAND SPEED RECORD. 50 years ago!
