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CUP: Edwards Is Humpy’s Top Dog
Written by: Tom Jensen   
05/14/2008 - 03:44 PM
Charlotte, NC
 
Humpy Wheeler, the President and General Manager of NASCAR's Lowe's Motor Speedway announces plans to retire. Photo: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images) ยป More Photos

Give Lowe’s Motor Speedway President and General Manager H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler credit: After all these years, he can still put on one heck of a dog-and-pony show, even when he leaves the ponies at home.

Wheeler, the consummate showman and promoter in NASCAR, on Wednesday hosted his annual prognostication preview prior to the running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, an event that will be televised live on SPEED Saturday night at 7 p.m.
At today’s session in Charlotte, Wheeler enlisted the help of four dogs, three to represent who he saw as the challengers and a fourth to represent his favorite.

The three challengers were a greyhound for Jimmie Johnson, a Doberman pinscher for Kyle Busch and a pit bull for Tony Stewart. Each of the three dogs carried the number of its respective driver.

The fourth dog, a fox terrier named Princess, walked out on stage without a number, but as soon as she launched into a series of backflips, it was clear who Wheeler’s choice was to win this year’s All-Star race: Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” said Wheeler, who correctly has picked 10 of the previous 19 All-Stat winners. He called Edwards a “racer’s racer” who would “put his car in places where angels fear to tread.”

Wheeler also cited Edwards’s determination and will to win. “He has a fire burning in his heart few drivers have,”
said Wheeler of Edwards. “(Former Green Bay Packers Coach) Vince Lombardi would have loved to have had Carl Edwards on his team, ‘cause he’s all about winning.”

Edwards, who was back home in Missouri, appeared briefly via telephone and clearly relished his reputation as ‘top dog’ among Wheeler’s picks. “We’re going there to win,” Edwards said. “I know we can win.”

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to


SPEED will televise the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV and the NASCAR Sprint Showdown live on May 17, as well as provide more than 90 hours of support programming prior to the event. Stay tuned to SPEEDtv.com for frequent updates on the history of the event and all the details about this year’s action.
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