Gordon leads Dakar Rally

BARCELONA, Spain – NASCAR driver Robby Gordon won the opening leg of the Dakar Rally on Friday, the first American to capture a stage in the car division of the world’s most grueling road race.

Gordon, driving a Volkswagen in his first Dakar Rally, covered a 4-mile sprint along a beach outside Barcelona in 4 minutes, 20 seconds. He was 2 seconds ahead of Hiroshi Masuoka of Japan, and Giniel De Villiers of South Africa was third, another second behind.

The 5,553-mile road race begins in earnest today with a 570-mile leg.