NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Robby Gordon is gearing up with Team HUMMER for the Dakar Rally, a 5,903-mile 15-day event across Argentina and Chile that begins January 1, 2011.

The Dakar Rally is made up of fourteen stages, also known as specials, with the overall winner being the team with the shortest elapsed time for all 15 days. Gordon is the first American to win a stage and will be piloting the No. 303 Speed Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER in his seventh attempt to win the "world's most grueling race."

"To win a stage of the event was great, but to be the first American to win the Dakar Rally would mean so much more," said Gordon. "With experience also comes the understanding that you have to beat the rally before you can beat your competitors."

Team HUMMER plans to field a second team in the event with a formal announcement expected next week.

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