Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler, right, reacts as "Princess" the dog performs a backflip while handler Bob Moore, center, looks on during a news conference in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday. Wheeler announced his pick to win NASCAR's Sprint All-Star auto race, choosing driver Carl Edwards, who is known for his backflips after winning a race.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the help of a backflipping dog, Humpy Wheeler made Carl Edwards the favorite to win the All-Star race by naming the acrobatic driver his pick to win Saturday night's event.

Wheeler, president of Lowe's Motor Speedway and the P.T. Barnum of NASCAR, staged a humorous Dog Show on Wednesday in downtown Charlotte to reveal his annual All-Star selection. He was an expert prognosticator when he first started making the picks, as Wheeler was correct on six of seven winners from 1989-95. But he's been right only twice since, correctly selecting Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2000 and Johnson in 2003.

He also chose Edwards in 2006, but he finished fourth that year.

"I was running (winner) Jimmie Johnson and those guys down and I hit the fence," Edwards said by phone from his home in Missouri. "I made a mistake running for the million (dollars) and I'm not going to do it again."

Wheeler, who makes his selection show an annual production, used dogs this year he believed shared characteristics of several of NASCAR's top drivers. He had a greyhound (sleek) represent Johnson, a Doberman Pinscher (fearless) for Kyle Busch and an American pit bull (stocky and agile) for Tony Stewart.

Then he introduced a small dog named Princess that mimicked Edwards' traditional backflip that the driver uses to celebrate his victories. Busch, winner of two of the past three Cup events and eight total races spanning NASCAR's top three series, is a popular pick, but choosing Edwards isn't exactly a stretch.

Edwards has three victories this season, two of which came on 1.5-mile tracks similar to Lowe's layout. And he had the car to beat in Atlanta, another track similar to Lowe's, but his motor failed and Busch went on to win the race.

"He's a racer's racer in the mold of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Cale Yarborough," Wheeler said of Edwards. "He'll put that 99 car in places where nobody else will go. He has got a fire burning in his heart that few drivers have."

Wheeler also named Stewart, who is winless so far this season, his dark horse selection.

"He can smell the big money," Wheeler said of the $1 million payout to the winner. "He could pull a surprise and take a bite out of the field."

Edwards expects Busch, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be among his main contenders.

By The Associated PressFeb. 9 — x-Budweiser Shootout, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)Feb. 17 — Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Ryan Newman)Feb. 24 — Auto Club 500, Fontana, Calif. (Carl Edwards)March 2 — UAW-Dodge 400, Las Vegas (Carl Edwards)March 9 — Kobalt Tools 500, Hampton, Ga. (Kyle Busch)March 16 — Food City 500, Bristol, Tenn. (Jeff Burton)March 30 — Goody's Cool Orange 500, Martinsville, Va. (Denny Hamlin)April 6 — Samsung 500, Fort Worth, Texas (Carl Edwards)April 12 — Subway Fresh Fit 500, Avondale, Ariz. (Jimmie Johnson)April 27 — Aaron's 499, Talladega, Ala. (Kyle Busch)May 3 — Dan Lowry 400, Richmond, Va. (Clint Bowyer)May 10 — Dodge Challenger 500, Darlington, S.C. (Kyle Busch)May 17 — x-NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, Concord, N.C.May 25 — Coca-Cola 600, Concord, N.C.June 1 — Dover (Del.) 400June 8 — Pocono 500, Long Pond, Pa.June 15 — Michigan 400, BrooklynJune 22 — Toyota/Save Mart 350, Sonoma, Calif.June 29 — Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Loudon, N.H.July 5 — Sprint Cup 400, Daytona Beach, Fla.July 12 — Chicagoland 400, Joliet, Ill.July 27 — Allstate 400 At The Brickyard, IndianapolisAug. 3 — Pennsylvania 500, Long Pond, Pa.Aug. 10 — Centurion Boats At The Glen, Watkins Glen, N.Y.Aug. 17 — 3M Performance 400, Brooklyn, Mich.Aug. 23 — Sharpie 500, Bristol, Tenn.Aug. 31 — Sprint Cup 500, Fontana, Calif.Sept. 6 — Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Richmond, Va.Sept. 14 — Sylvania 300, Loudon, N.H.Sept. 21 — Dover (Del.), 400Sept. 28 — Kansas 400, Kansas CityOct. 5 — AMP Energy 500, Talladega, Ala.Oct. 11 — Bank of America 500, Concord, N.C.Oct. 19 — Sprint Cup 500, Martinsville, Va.Oct. 26 — Pep Boys Auto 500, Hampton, Ga.Nov. 2 — Dickies 500, Fort Worth, TexasNov. 9 — Checker Auto Parts 500, Avondale, Ariz.Nov. 16 — Ford 500, Homestead, Fla.x-non-points raceDriver Standings1. Kyle Busch, 1,6902. Jeff Burton, 1,6113. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1,5564. Denny Hamlin, 1,5005. Clint Bowyer, 1,4906. Jimmie Johnson, 1,4427. Carl Edwards, 1,4008. Tony Stewart, 1,3979. Kevin Harvick, 1,39610. Jeff Gordon, 1,32611. Greg Biffle, 1,30812. David Ragan, 1,26613. Ryan Newman, 1,264(tie) Kasey Kahne, 1,26415. Martin Truex Jr., 1,23016. Juan Pablo Montoya, 1,19017. Brian Vickers, 1,16118. Travis Kvapil, 1,15519. Bobby Labonte, 1,12820. Matt Kenseth, 1,113