Blogger and filmmaker Jackson West of NewTeeVee.com wrote a great peace on Cruxy creator Short Track World, that really brought our attention to the work they are doing. We knew that they were up to something cool when they emailed support saying they were having problems uploading over their satellite connection…

On July 19, the annual Harris Clash in Knoxville, Iowa will bring together drivers, crews, and thousands of fans to watch modified cars race on a short, oval, dirt track. It promises to be good family fun, but if you can’t make it Iowa, the next best thing is catching the race live on ShortTrackWorld.com — a new web network dedicated to the sport of short track racing. I’ve been to a dirt track race or two myself, and the astoundingly popular NASCAR got its start on tracks just like these. “People miss that, I think, and they don’t realize it’s still out there,� ShortTrackWorld’s Joe Tate told me over the phone. Along with equal partner Jim Wilson of the World Dirt Racing League, Tate created the site and set up the broadcast system.

I am a big stock car racing fan, though the fact that I live in Brooklyn means I keep that mostly quiet. I also am old enough to remember how quickly it went from being a small venture to the multi-billion dollar operation it is today. Joe and the STW team are smart to understand how popular sporting trends emerge and are poised to bring car racing online via IPTV and on-demand, online digital pay-per-view, to potentially a whole new audience.

The live video stream is available as a pay-per-view service, and race footage is archived and available as paid downloads at Cruxy. Since the first broadcast just a month ago, at least one race has attracted an audience of 50 live viewers, which is the break-even point for the business. The site imposes a blackout on zip codes within a hundred miles of a race to keep from competing with the race venue.

Beyond their obvious focus on a sustainable business model and understanding of their market, they also happen to have a wicked sweet RV:

Read the entire post on NewTeeVee: http://newteevee.com/2007/07/05/shorttrackworld/
or check out Short Track World on Cruxy today.