SCOTT BACKMAN
Scott Backman’s involvement in motorsports began in 1973, when he served as a mechanic on the #33 CARC modified his brother, Jack, drove at Lakeside Speedway.  He served in this role until 1985, when he began driving a super modified with the Englewood Racing Association.  During his first year, he earned  Rookie of the Year honors for finishing fifth in the championship standings.

From 1986-1996, Backman teamed up with Shannon Muir to form Muir Motorsports and race in the Western States Super Modified Series. During that time, he competed at tracks from coast to coast, including Colorado National Speedway, where he won the season championship in 1989.  That season, Backman won 11 of 15 main events, and had a clean sweep in 10 of those nights (quick time, trophy dash, heat race and main event).  In 1991, Backman also competed in the Denver Grand Prix on the streets of Denver in a Coors-sponsored Indy Lights car, finishing 8th on his first road course race.

In 1996, he ran a limited schedule at CNS in a grand american modified, finishing 10th in points, and was named Rookie of the Year.  1997 and 1998, he ran a Pro Truck at CNS finishing, second in points both years and, again, won “Rookie of the Year honors.  From 1999-2007, he ran late models at CNS, along with several NASCAR Touring Series races.  In 2006, Backman was the track champion at CNS in the late model division, winning 7 of 18 races, including the Challenge Cup.  He also finished 5th in the Western Region of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series.

In 2008, Backman was named track operator of Colorado National Speedway, one of the most successful “short tracks” in the United States.  In 2009, he was appointed to the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

CATHY CARELLI
A Colorado native has been always been actively involved in all types of Motorsports, as well as all aspects of Colorado Sports Marketing and Management.

Cathy’s motorsports involvement began in the late 70’s at Lakeside Speedway working with her father and grandfather assisting young drivers, and working charity events;  while her professional sports background started in the early 80’s, as an intern with the Denver Nuggets Basketball organization and part-time positions with the Denver Bears Baseball Team and Colorado Flames Hockey Team.   Her first full time position originated with the Denver Gold Football Team of the (USFL) United States Football League – a newly formed spring Football League.  The Denver Gold lead the league in attendance and their management team was selected to host, organize and operate the first Championship Game (Super Bowl), at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado.  Unfortunately, the USFL was dissolved after three short seasons (1983-1985).  However, that opened the doors for Cathy to join the Denver Broncos Football Club, which also lead the NFL in attendance and season ticket sales.   She was there for almost 10 years during the John Elway era, and earned three Super Bowl Rings for her participation in the Broncos 1987, 1988 and 1990 Championship seasons.   She resigned from the Broncos shortly after her husband Rick Carelli, began racing in NASCAR professionally.

During the next 15 years, Cathy managed, promoted and worked side by side with her husband in all of NASCAR’s major touring divisions.  After numerous years of racing and several track championships in and around Colorado, Rick Carelli’s vast travels away from his home base, earned him the nickname “The High Plains Drifter”.  During the mid 90’s, Rick won two NASCAR Regional Championships and the Most Popular Driver award.   In 2003, he competed in his 1000th race (at Pikes Peak International Raceway), achieving 435-Wins, 576-Top 5s, and 771-Top 10 finishes along the way.   In addition to working with Rick at Chesrown Racing, Cathy was also the Director of Track Operations for Colorado National Speedway, a NASCAR weekly racing series facility outside of Erie, CO.  CNS hosted a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race during the inaugural season in 1995, producing the first ever nationally televised broadcast of a national NASCAR racing event, live from Colorado on CBS.

Cathy is presently handling the travel logistics for Kevin & DeLana Harvick’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Team, as well as their two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Teams, where husband Rick has been the General Manger for Kevin Harvick, Inc. since 2004.

In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Motor Sports Hall of Fame, Cathy also assists Rick (Carelli) and Russell (Doc) Simpson with Racer’s Who Care, a non-profit organization based out of California, which consists of all different type of motor sports professionals, dedicated to making a difference in the lives of our next generation.  Cathy and Rick are also involved through RE/MAX International, with the Children’s Miracle Network and volunteer annually at Victory Junction Camp.

Cathy & Rick have three children, Brian, Dominic, and Calissa and currently reside in Kernersville, North Carolina.

PETER BRANDENBURG
Peter Brandenburg was born and raised in Denver.  He began his career in racing by partnering with a classmate in building a race car in 1952.  From there, he worked as a pit crew member for many car owners. He drove at the famed Lakeside Speedway for the first time in 1957.  Throughout his career, he raced figure eights, modifieds, late models and midgets.  As of 2009, Pete is still driving a vintage Offy for Sid Blandford. 

Peter is a lifetime member of the Arapahoe Racing Association and Englewood Racing Association.  In addition to serving on the Colorado Motor Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors, he also has served on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association and the Englewood Racing Association.

WALLY DALLENBACH, SR.
At age 15, Wally Dallenbach, Sr. began building race cars and engines, turning a ’38 Ford Coupe into a stock car.  Too young to participate as a driver, he campaigned the car for two seasons as an owner and mechanic, gaining invaluable experience in the mechanical and handling aspects of a race car.  This later became important to him on a professional level in Championship Racing and tire testing for Goodyear.

At the age of 17, a legal driving age, he switched to drag racing. In 1959-1960, he built one of the first successful rear-end dragsters.  He then accomplished some 80 wins over a period of five years and, at the age of 21, he began oval racing.  He promptly built another modified stock car and campaigned on the Eastern race tracks for more than four years, winning more than his share of races along the way.

At age 24, he then switched to the mighty midgets and sprint cars for about two years to gain more experience driving open cockpit race cars.  During his career, both in stock cars and Championship cars, Wally raced at many New Jersey and surrounding area tracks.  In 1965, Wally received his first break in Championship Car Racing, driving an outdated roadster in Langhorne, Penn., then one of the roughest tracks on the circuit.  He qualified 11th and finished 9th in his first Champ Car ride with obsolete equipment.

His rookie year at the Indy 500 was in 1967 where he qualified 15th and was running well when he was sidelined with a broken rear axle on the 87th lap.  In 1975 he led the Indy 500 for 97 laps when the engine failed with a burnt piston with only eight laps remaining, due to rain.  Wally’s best year was in 1973, driving for Pat Partick’s S.T.P. Eagle, winning the Milwaukee 200.  From there he went on to win the California 100 and the California 500, giving him a consecutive winning streak and finishing the racing season with a second place finish at Phoenix, which placed him second nationally in the point standings that year.

Wally was approached late in 1979 about serving as CART’s Chief Steward.  He had a few weeks to think about it, but little did he know that after accepting the position, he would one day return to the cockpit of an Indy car.  After the first weekend of the Indy time trials was rained out, Mario Andretti, who was committed to drive in the Belgium Grand Prix the following weekend, asked Wally to qualify the car for him.  Wally turned in a four lap average speed of 193.040 miles per hour, 12th fastest in the 33 car field.

Wally competed in 180 Indy car races, winning five times.  He raced in the Indy 500 13 times, finishing 4th in 1976, his best finish.  He organized the Championship Driver’s Association in 1978 and was CART’s first driver’s representative.  Wally retired as CART’s Chief Steward after 23 years.  Wally continues to organize two Colorado 500 Charity Rides; a road bike ride in June and a dirt bike ride in September, both originating from his ranch in Colorado.  These charity rides have improved the lives of many young people in Western Colorado through their donations and scholarships, which to date have dispersed well over $1 million.

After graduating from the University of Colorado with a journalism degree in 1990, he ventured east as far as Kansas City to work for a leading advertising and public relations firm, Barkley & Evergreen Advertising, on motorsports and finance accounts.   He returned to his hometown in 1994.

Back in Colorado, he helped with the start-up of several marketing firms, ultimately becoming the manager of the public relations division of the Denver-based strategic marketing firm of Greenberg Baron Simon & Miller (GBSM).  There he worked for such clients as Pepsi Center, Colorado Avalanche, MLB’s ’98 All-Star Game at Coors Field and Turner Sports’ Atlanta Arena. He also was one of the initial strategic marketing and public relations consultants on Pikes Peak International Raceway, a 1200-acre, 42,000-seat complex built in 1996 in Fountain, Colorado.

In November 1998, Rob was named president of Pikes Peak International Raceway where, for eight years, he oversaw a major motor sports calendar, including NASCAR, IndyCar, AMA, USAC and more than 100 days of additional track rental activities.

In 2006, he became general manager of the Grand Prix of Denver, a Champ Car street race held on the streets of Denver.  He was also named vice president of Sutton International Motorsports, where he managed sales, marketing and public relations initiatives for NASCAR, Baja and Champ Car projects. 

In addition to his position as strategist, business development with Sport Dimensions, Rob is the chief executive officer of the Billiard Congress of America, a non-profit trade organization dedicated to promoting the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage play.

Rob is also actively involved in the community, currently serving as chairman of the Colorado Motor Sports Hall of Fame.  He has also served on the board of directors for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Fort Carson Educational Museum and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Chancellor’s Leadership Class. 

BILL VICKERY
Born in 1943 in Denver, Colorado, Bill grew up in Central City, Colorado reading about the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Bonneville and Daytona and dreaming of winning those races.  He purchased his first motorcycle at the age of 12, beginning a life-long love of motorcycles.

Bill began working as a machinist at Coors Porcelain in the mid-1960’s and building custom motorcycles for other enthusiasts.  The experience at Coors Porcelain led to a position with Stuska Engineering, where he acquired additional fine machining skills and a working knowledge of dynameters.  Always interested in motor racing as a spectator, Bill began drag racing in 1966 by building a turbine powered motorcycle.  He spent a year in drag racing competition, becoming acquainted with John Bandimere, Jr. when John allowed him to do practice runs with the turbine motorcycle on the drag strip John’s family was building just east of Morrison.

In late 1966, Bill began working for Kurland Motors as a motorcycle mechanic.  Bill and Shari later purchased the parts and service departments from Mr. Kurland combining business and a love of racing.  Bill began racing both dirt and pavement locally and in 1969 began road racing a Yamaha TD2 250cc road racer.  A passion for road racing led Bill and his family on numerous trips to Daytona Beach, FL, Road Atlanta, GA, Pocono Raceway, PA, Laguna Seca, CA, Sears Point, CA and Ontario, CA.  Bill became the 250cc W.E.R.A. Midwest Roadracing champion in 1976.

Beginning in 1970, trips to the Bonneville Salt Flats for land speed record attempts became the family vacation for Bill, Shari and their boys.  Bill rode both 250cc and 750cc motorcycles, setting a 750cc land speed record in 1975 of 191.203 mph, a record which still stands today.

Between road racing and trips to Bonneville, Bill enjoyed motorcycle dirt track racing at Colorado National Speedway, Rains Raceway and short track racing at Adams County Fairgrounds.  Dirt track racing took Bill and his family to numerous events throughout Colorado and Kansas.  Dirt racing was so popular in the 1970’s a rider could race on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night if the distance between races wasn’t too great.  Bill finished his 1971 dirt racing year as the S.R.A.C. Scrambles Pro State Champion.  In 1971 the Pikes Peak Hill Climb began inviting motorcycles to compete.  Once again, Bill was there for the summer races in July and the winter races on New Year’s Day.  Bill won the 125cc Pro Class in July 1971 and was the overall ‘first to the top’ winner in the New Year’s Day race in 1974.

An opportunity to buy out an existing motorcycle dealer in 1972 led Bill and Shari to open their own motorcycle dealership in southeast Denver that has grown to be one of the largest Yamaha dealerships in the country.  Along with the new business opportunity came an interest in racing motocross and enduros so both Bill’s sons could compete as well.  Bill raced motocross in the 125cc and open classes and won the Block and Tackle National Enduro in the Senior Class in 1990.