Sammy Gallo

Sammy Gallo is an enduring, legendary figure from earlier days of Colorado racing.  Returning to Denver after serving in the Army and the Normandy invasion in World War II, Sammy was part of a group of friends who started racing open roadsters at the rodeo grounds of North Table Mountain.  Their passion for this new sport led them to compete in racing events at Merchant’s Park on South Broadway in Denver, a track to the north of Denver in Greeley, and Englewood Speedway, where Sammy won his first track championship in 1951.  He had developed a smooth yet aggressive driving style early in his career, and was known for his ability to move through traffic on his way to the front of the pack.  His racing skill and success endeared him to the crowds that filled the stands.  Sammy won another track championship at the Greeley Speedway in 1953, but the move to a new track in that time period proved to be pivotal in his career.  Sammy’s longtime friend Ben Krasner brought the CARC racing organization to Lakeside Speedway in North Denver, and Sammy enjoyed some of his best racing years at the tight, 1/5^th mile oval in front of the huge crowds of race fans who journeyed to Lakeside on a weekly basis.  Always a fan favorite and front runner who earned immense respect from his fellow competitors, Sammy earned his place in Denver racing history on the track, yet his contributions to the sport outside of wheeling a race car were just beginning to form.  Realizing the need for increased safety measures in the CARC racing program, Sammy became the club’s first Safety Director, where he established tougher tech inspections and oversaw enforcement of safety regulations.  His affable nature and natural leadership qualities made him not only a fan favorite when he was behind the wheel, but a popular club official, as he was elected for several terms as CARC president or board member.  Another track Championship was earned in 1966, as Sammy worked to promote the club that had grown to the largest racing organization in the region while competing in its events at the highest levels.  It all came to a halt in 1969, when cancer claimed Sammy Gallo, taking one of the sport’s most active and accomplished competitors from the racing community he had help build.  His legacy lives on in the generations of family members who have become successful racers in their own right, and in the hearts of longtime CARC fans who remember this giant of Colorado racing history.  That legacy is now honored by the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame, who proudly induct Sammy Gallo into its ranks.