da Matta quickly found himself at home and embraced by the entire Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing team. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

In the time spent waiting for the track to dry, da Matta made it clear how much the invitation to test with the Gainsco team meant to him. “For me it makes me proud because... having an invitation from the Grand-Am champions, it's really something. It's a series that is doing extremely well these days and it looks very, very, very bright for the future. And to have the opportunity to maybe get back, especially with the champions, it's like... it's more than a dream. If I tell you that I'm only proud about that, I'm saying too little. It's a dream come true and I'm very pleased and I'm very thankful for Bob. Bob is giving me the opportunity, and he is not regarding whatever opinion anybody else might have.”

If anything, those opinions--ones that doubt da Matta’s ability to fully recover from his accident, are exactly what led Stallings to reach out to the diminutive pilot. While the marriage of da Matta and the GAINSCO team might seem odd at first, spend thirty seconds with team owner Bob Stallings, and it quickly becomes apparent Cristiano was destined to make his return with Stallings’ team. First, Stallings has created a program that champions the underdog, the forgotten, and the discarded talents of open-wheel racing. Reaching out to da Matta wasn’t a kind gesture for Stallings, it was second nature. Second, his GAINSCO Racing program is by no means the best funded or heavily resourced in the Grand-Am paddock, but this dynamic is exactly what motivates Stallings: he prefers a smaller, more tightly knit, ‘family run’ operation.

With da Matta ticking the boxes of the underdog, the forgotten, and the discarded, being welcomed into the Stallings family racing operation was only a matter of time. The introduction to Stallings from a dear friend from the ChampCar ranks only helped Cristiano’s cause.

“I got to know Cristiano through (GAINSCO driver) Jimmy Vasser and I really heard a lot about how terrible the accident was. Everyone that's ever run into Cristiano, said, ‘not only is he one of the most talented racecar drivers, he's also just a really wonderful human being.’ Jimmy believed in him, and he seemed like a perfect fit for my team.”

Stallings has seen his formula for scouting driver talent bear fruit in 2006 and 2007 with open-wheel refugees Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney dominating the Rolex DP series in ’06 and scoring a decisive championship victory in ’07. With the hopes of funding to finalize the addition of a second car for Vasser and da Matta, he knows another chapter can be written with the two Indy car champions. “All my drivers come from the same place -- they're really great at what they do and they all came out of open-wheel racing, so they share similar experiences. But the chemistry between Jimmy Vasser and Cristiano is incredible; they’re great friends and I'm really looking forward to seeing those two guys get in the car together at the Laguna Seca DP race. Both guys know the racetrack very, very well. In fact, I the last time Cristiano was there in Champ Car, he won the race. I really hope we can get their sponsorship secured.”

The opportunity for career resurrection like da Matta is enjoying is something Fogarty and Gurney proudly support. But as Fogarty was quick to note, having a driver of da Matta’s pedigree as teammate will take some getting used to. “We do all kind of have a similar background in the open-wheel arena, but obviously, he's done considerably more than Alex and I in Champ Car and Formula 1…”

For Gurney, the clear path back to a career as a racing driver is something he knows da Matta can count on within Stallings’ team. “I was super lucky -- this business is tough for drivers, especially just to get a shot with a legitimate ride where you're competitive and have a chance to win. I know where Cristiano’s at. I sat out myself and didn’t race in 2003 and 2004. Luckily, I began to forge a relationship with Bob Stallings and he was at the point in his short racing career at the time where he wanted to move up and do something professional. I know you don't get many second chances in this business, but this team is full of them.”

da Matta quickly found himself at home and embraced by the entire Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing team. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

Like Gurney, the opportunity to switch to sports cars is something da Matta knows can extend his driving career well past what any open-wheel series can offer. After a two year pause, that’s exactly what da Matta is looking for. “It’s one thing that prototypes and GT cars can do for me. They give the drivers quite a longer career. So I still have many years left on my career with this type of racing. I'm all right to get back to the car and do whatever I want to do, drive whatever I want to drive, race whatever I want to race... Of course, if I can get into the car this year, which is very likely that's gonna happen, I'll be very happy.”

GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing is also unique in their decidedly American driver lineup and pit crew -- faced with multi-national opposition on their way to the 2007 championship, the ‘Made in America’ aspect of the team has great meaning to all involved. It’s also the only part of da Matta’s inclusion that doesn’t seem to fit, but Gurney is quick to enlighten. “Cristiano is American…South American… I think it's pretty rare these days to have a team from top to bottom that's all American, and to be able to come out on top last year was a big thrill for all of us. With Jimmy and Cristiano, we’d be stronger than ever.”