from the Little Brown Jug public relations department

Delaware, OH — Fazoli’s, America’s largest quick-service Italian restaurant chain, will be the presenting sponsor for the 69th edition of the $600,000 “Little Brown Jug brought to you by Fazoli’s” scheduled for Thursday (Sept. 18) at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio.

The Little Brown Jug, North America’s most prestigious harness race for 3-year-old pacers, will air live on CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports, from 5-6:30 p.m. (EDT).

The Little Brown Jug telecast is made possible by Fazoli’s, the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association, the United States Trotting Association and the generous support of numerous owners, trainers, drivers, farms and other industry supporters.

“The Little Brown Jug is pleased to partner with Fazoli’s in bringing the Jug to a national audience,” noted Phil Terry, marketing manager of the Little Brown Jug. “I was pleased with the cooperation among the many groups to get the Little Brown Jug on television. This is a great opportunity to expose the Jug and harness racing to the entire country.”

A harness racing owner himself, Fazoli’s chief executive understands the great traditions of the Little Brown Jug and harness racing.

“Harness racing is one of America’s oldest and most exciting sports,” said Carl Howard, Fazoli’s president and CEO. “People today are increasingly enjoying sports in new ways, and we are excited about partnering with the Little Brown Jug and the U.S. Trotting Association to introduce harness racing to a new generation of fans.”

In addition to the live telecast, the 2014 Little Brown Jug will be promoted through an integrated social media campaign featuring a “Pick The Jug Winner” online contest and a 30-day “Countdown to The Jug” on the www.HarnessRacingFanZone.

The effort will also include creating content for the Harness Racing Fan Zone’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, Vine and Pinterest plus the creation of a #FazolisPickTheJugWinner hash tag.

In addition to the online promotions and broadcast support, Fazoli’s will participate in race presentations and its logo will appear at the track and on race and wagering promotional material.

About The Little Brown Jug

The Little Brown Jug is the most prestigious 3-year-old pacing race in North America. The second leg of pacing’s “Triple Crown” is held each September at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio and traditionally draws up to 50,000 fans. Since its establishment in 1946, many of the sport’s greatest champions have participated in the Little Brown Jug. For more on the Little Brown Jug, please visit www.littlebrownjug.com.

About Fazoli’s

An American family favorite for more than 20 years, Fazoli’s ranked No. 2 overall among large national fast-food chains in the prestigious Zagat Survey. With a premium menu of freshly prepared Italian entrees, oven-baked sandwiches and salads, a new service style featuring table service and a contemporary new restaurant design, Fazoli’s is expanding throughout the country. Founded in Lexington, Ky., in 1988, Fazoli’s was acquired by Sun Capital Partners in 2006.