ROAD WARRIORS NASCAR'S POPULAR DRIVERS, BREAKNEAK ACTION ELEVATE SPORT IN AMERICA'S CONSCIOUSNESS.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

While reading about the 43rd Daytona 500, ``NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience,'' director Simon Wincer realized the event transcended mere sports.

Though racing lost a legend in Dale Earnhardt on Feb. 18, 2001, Wincer says, ``there was a whole lot of other drama that day.''

It's the case with every National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing competition, say followers of the sport. Every race of every season is chockablock with subplots.

For instance, that day also marked the broadcasting debut of former racer Darrell Waltrip, who ended up announcing younger brother Michael's victory. Future champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in second. Still, in the most significant - and heartbreaking - moment of the race, Earnhardt Sr. lost his life in a multi-car crash while trying to help his son to victory.

``It was in the headlines of every paper throughout the country,'' Wincer says. ``It was like Elvis had died.''

In a way, he did. But NASCAR's popularity wouldn't fade with the passing of Earnhardt. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Given the spiraling popularity of NASCAR, Wincer's 45-minute movie - limited though it may be to IMAX houses - still figures to attract an audience. Stick the word NASCAR in a title - or on a toy or cereal box - and a large segment of the population will take notice. We're talking about the nation's second-most-popular televised sport (behind the NFL), boasting 75 million fans - a third of the adult population.

And with new ``converts'' every day. Wincer (``Free Willy,'' TV's ``Lonesome Dove''), a native of Australia, figures he was tabbed for the film precisely because he wasn't a fan or passionately obsessed with any one racing team. That's not the case anymore.

``I'm an absolute convert,'' says Wincer. ``The fantastic thing is the more you get into it, the more interesting it is.''

Kiefer Sutherland, who narrates the film, also caught the bug, although his duties with the Fox series ``24'' didn't allow him to get as close to the action as he might otherwise have done.

``Compared to Indy and Formula One racing, NASCAR always felt like an underdog to me, and I think it comes from the origins of how it all started with the moonshiners trying to outrun the law,'' says Sutherland. ``Also, economically, Formula One cars are so expensive, and you have to have so much to run one of those teams. There's a general spirit and sensibility about NASCAR that if you're a really good driver and have a really good mechanic, you can put a car on a track.''

``NASCAR 3D'' takes us from the origins of stock car racing through the rise of NASCAR's popularity. Racing footage puts the viewer - who must wear 3D polarized glasses - literally on the track or behind the wheel of a machine doing 200 mph. We also visit NASCAR headquarters and watch cars being safety-tested. The final race of Dale ``the Intimidator'' Earnhardt is referenced, although briefly. To get the footage, Wincer had IMAX cameras fitted onto everything from a specially rigged race car to a gyro-stabilized helicopter and the nose of a Lear jet.

Even if you don't happen to live in close proximity to a track, there is no shortage of ways to get into it. There are the races themselves - 36 in all, although Southern Californians will have to wait until May 2 to catch one locally at Fontana's California Speedway. (For fans who really can't wait, the third race of the season is this weekend in Las Vegas.) If you do go, don't expect privacy. Races at the California Speedway - where several portions of the IMAX movie were filmed - attract crowds of up to 130,000 people.

There's also end-to-end season coverage divided between Fox, NBC, FX and TNT. During the first half of the season, Fox Sports Next chimes in with its ``NASCAR This Morning'' and ``Totally NASCAR'' programs. The SPEED Channel - which recently launched the new reality show ``NBS 24/7'' is practically all NASCAR, all the time.

Merchandising tie-ins? Don't even get us started.

``My primary sponsor is Lowe's Home Improvement, but we have Quaker State, Haas, EDS, a whole variety of things,'' recites Jimmie Johnson, 28, 2003's runner-up, listing his sponsors, ``I personally have an endorsement program with Chevrolet, Levi Strauss, Gillette, Gatorade, pretty major heavy hitters.''

Johnson and fellow drivers like Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. are the sport's equivalents of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Spending the bulk of their lives publicizing the sport or shuttling between races, they're like rock stars - only without the barriers.

``You get to know the players, and they're a great bunch of guys,'' says Wincer. ``It's not like stars in the NBA or NFL who drive off in cars with tinted windows that you never get to see through. These guys are great ambassadors to the sport, and, yes, they're absolutely mobbed by fans.''

Johnson, a native of El Cajon, developed an interest in racing from the age of 5. His parents would take him to races all over Southern California. In his late teens, he realized that his passion could be a profession and relocated to Charlotte, N.C., where much of NASCAR is headquartered. His father drives Johnson's bus to all the races, and his mother heads up his fan club.

With his dark hair and eyes, Johnson has movie-star good looks and admits he's been looking to take advantage of some of the opportunities the sport's exposure has brought him. He has a featured spot at the beginning of ``NASCAR IMAX 3D,'' playing the driver of a moonshine bootlegging run.

Even so, the star-quality demands of his profession occasionally catch him off-guard, Johnson admits.

``At random times, someone will recognize me, or I'll get a letter of request from a Make-a-Wish child whose last request is to meet me. And it just stops you in your tracks,'' says Johnson. ``I wake up every day and put my pants on just like everyone else does. I'm just a race car driver, so to have a fan club and a fan base surprises me in a lot of ways.''

It doesn't surprise NASCAR's Richard Glover, who sees the sport's crossover appeal attracting fans of all ages and genders.

``You're seeing the expansion of a NASCAR fan base to a wider and wider audience,'' says Glover, the vice president of broadcasting and new media for NASCAR. ``It's one of the things we continue to take great pride in - as well as the fact that this is a good wholesome product the whole family can come out and enjoy, (including) the story lines of competition that develop on the track.''

Glover, who spent seven years managing home video, licensing and talent management for Titan Sports Inc. - parent company for World Wrestling Entertainment - says that the two entertainment juggernauts of NASCAR and pro wrestling don't even belong in the same discussion.

``WWE is clearly entertainment that has a kind of sports element,'' says Glover. ``NASCAR has all these stories of who won, who lost, how the race unfolded. There is no comparison.''

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) HOT wheels

NASCAR's appeal reaches far beyond the track

(2) no caption (Race car crash)

(3) Simon Wincer, center, director of the new film ``NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience.'' With him are father and son race car drivers Richard, right, and Kyle Petty.

(4) NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson