You don't have to be a racing fan to wonder what it's like in the driver's seat, tearing around a race track at 180 miles per hour. And you get a pretty good idea in "NASCAR: The IMAX Experience."

		"NASCAR: The IMAX Experience" When: Through Sept. 30. Where: Carnegie Science Center. Information: 412-237-3400.

This new large-format documentary about NASCAR racing opens today at Carnegie Science Center's Rangos Omnimax Theater. It was directed by Simon Wincer, who also directed the Imax feature film "The Young Black Stallion."

The IMAX technology delivers the bone-rattling roar of the engines and the bumper-to-bumper high speed thrill of the chase. The film is a departure from the nature and science topics that are the staple of the Omnimax film subject matter. But the giant screen gives viewers a vantage point on the race track -- and on racing -- they would never get otherwise. Both racing fans and casual observers will come away with an appreciation for the focus and split-second timing a driver has to have and the grand spectacle that NASCAR racing has become.

As Richard Petty put it: "There is no doubt about precisely when folks began racing each other in automobiles. It was the day they built the second automobile." "NASCAR" looks at the mass appeal and the cultural phenomenon of racing -- from driver to fan.

It traces the sport to its roots in 1940s dirt track racing and the birth of NASCAR in 1947. Racing legend Junior Johnson honed his driving skills running moonshine. The film opens with a high-speed chase through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The moonshine runners are played by drivers Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, along with stunt drivers from "The Dukes of Hazzard" stunt team. NASCAR fans also will appreciate another bit of creative casting. The cops chasing them -- without success -- are played by NASCAR president Mike Helton and NASCAR managing director of competition Gary Nelson.

Filming a fast-paced, dangerous event in IMAX was a challenge. It required a custom-built NASCAR vehicle the camera could fit into. It had removable panels, so the camera could shoot from different positions. Filmmakers also shot scenes with a remote-controlled camera in a race car traveling at 165 miles per hour.

It was a challenge that paid off. The vicarious you-are-there shots from behind the wheel are riveting. This is nothing new to racing fans who watch video images taken by cameras mounted inside the car on TV. But the IMAX camera captures images of a much higher quality -- accompanied by ear-shattering volume -- and some dazzling views from the middle of the racing pack. The viewer sees how close the car is to its competitors -- giving a good idea of the split-second timing and decisions a driver has to make.

Some of the best sequences are those of the pit stops -- when the crews change tires and perform other maintenance tasks in a precisely choreographed routine, while other cars whip around them at high speed. An aerial sequence shows the sprawling track from the bird's-eye view of the pilots who are doing a jet fly-over before the race.

The film takes a look at the technology and mechanics at work behind the scenes and under the hood, and the rigorous safety practices that prevent more tragedies from happening on the track.

Some of racing's superstars -- Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and others -- offer comments and observations on the sport.

Although there is only one driver, "NASCAR" stresses that racing is truly a team sport -- from the mechanics and pit crews who keep things moving, to the families and loyal fans who camp out at the track and lend support from the stands.

There are some crash scenes, which give the film a PG rating.