'Badlands Nitro' is Coughlin's pick to win Little Brown Jug
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<P>DELAWARE, Ohio (Sept. 10) -- With the first three races of the NHRA's Countdown to 1 playoffs taking place over the next three weekends, reigning world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. will be focused on advancing his title defense one quarter-mile at a time. But he'll have a chance to change his mindset for a few days as he takes in a different kind of horsepower at the 63rd annual Little Brown Jug half-mile harness race at Delaware Ohio County Fairgrounds.
"I'm used to my 1,300-horsepower JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt Pro Stock car, but I can sure appreciate this event," the four-time world champion drag racer said. "Being a resident of Delaware (Ohio), I know how big the Jug is to our community and to the state of Ohio. I'm excited to return to the track and see this year's race."
The Little Brown Jug is recognized as the top harness race in the world for 3-year-old pacing horses. Since its inception in 1946, the majority of the quickest and fastest half-mile performances in harness racing history have been set at Delaware Ohio County Fairgrounds during the Little Brown Jug event.
This year's Jug spans five days, Sept. 14-18, with the main event taking place Thursday, Sept. 18. The top prize is $480,000, making it the richest race of its kind.
Coughlin, who will attend the race as a guest of the honorable Windell Wheeler, Mayor of Delaware, already has selected his favorite to win this year's Little Brown Jug.
"In drag racing, we have Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, both of which run on nitromethane fuel, so it's easy for me to pick Badlands Nitro to win the Jug this year," Coughlin said. "Plus, he's having a pretty good year on the track, just like we are, so we're kindred spirits. Maybe we can both end up champions."
