By Denis McGlynn

Few industries can match motorsports when it comes to interesting characters.  Bill Neal, “The Astonishing Neal,” crossed my path in 1975 when I was the public relations director for Dover Downs Int’l Speedway. I received a call from industrious Bill Claren, who covered motorsports for the Passaic County Herald.
Bill told me about this guy who, while blindfolded, had driven a car through the center of Reading, Pa., and parallel parked it in front of the local bank.
I’m originally from New York. I’m suspicious of almost everything. But I listened as Claren told me more about Astonishing Neal.
To make a long story short, we decided to have The Astonishing Neal attend the Delaware 500 in September that year.
I met 27-year-old Bill Neal in the parking lot of WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. We hit it off and made our way into the lobby to seek out sports anchor Hugh Gannon.
Gannon laid it out. “Here’s the deal,” he said, “I’m thinking of a city in the United States. If you (Neal) can tell me what it is, we’ll do the interview, if not, then sorry.” “Cincinnati,” said Neal. Hugh pushed back from the table in disbelief and said, “Let’s go!”
At this point I didn’t know what Neal’s trick was, but I was convinced there was skullduggery involved. Then it was off to WPVI-TV across the street.
Sports anchor Joe Pellegrino was among the good guys who always tried to help. After hearing about the experience with Gannon, I could see his wheels turning. “We’re going outside,” Pellegrino said, “where there can be no tricks.”
Pellegrino challenged Neal to blindfold himself. After Neal was blindfolded, Pellegrino drew a picture on a legal pad. Neal waved his hand over the picture, but Pellegrino produced a second legal pad and asked Neal if he could draw the same picture that Pellegrino had just drawn. At that point I thought, “This was starting to be a fun gig, but it’s all over now.”
Neal replied, “I think I can if you let me use the same pen.” He drew an exact replica of the drawing.
Neal came to Dover on Saturday of race weekend. By mid-afternoon my phone was ringing off the hook. “Who’s this Amazing Neal guy?” was the common question. 
“He’s not the Amazing Neal. He’s the Astonishing Neal,” was my universal response. “How come he can guess people’s names? He told me how much change I had in my pocket! He told me what credit cards I had in my wallet! This guy’s freaking all the women out. They’re afraid he can read their minds!” 
The Astonishing Neal was definitely creating a buzz.
On Sunday, Neal’s job during pre-race was to drive the pace car around the track while blindfolded and predict the race winner.
He was blindfolded by Delaware Lt. Gov. Eugene Bookhammer. It was classic Keystone Cops from then on. Neal, holding one hand out the window of the Purolator show car he drove (he explained that he was able to see through light-sensitive cells in his hands) weaving back and forth toward turn one. Wait a minute! Some fool left his car parked on the apron. “I see blue,” said Neal, passing a blue sedan.
Wait a minute! The security guys forgot to remove the traffic cones on the backstretch used to guide infield traffic! “I see orange,” Neal said, weaving through the cones, hand extended into the wind.
I had pretty well run through my four-letter word vocabulary by the time they came out of turn four and stopped four inches past the start-finish line, at which point Neal backed it up four inches so the front bumper was directly over the line. The crowd loved it.
Neal allowed us to hide his paycheck on one of 10 drivers lined up on the frontstretch, and if he didn’t pick the correct driver on the first try, we could keep the check. Thirteen drivers came over the wall. “I guess that’s how they count in Delaware,” Neal said. Neal stopped in front of Jabe Thomas and asked for his check, which freaked out the drivers.
Neal wrote his race winner prediction on a piece of paper prior to the race. He gave it to Lt. Gov. Bookhammer. 
After the race, winner Richard Petty opened the envelope and handed the paper to Dover President John Riddle saying, “You read it…you know it says David Pearson.” 
With Neal smiling at his side, Riddle read, “I’m certain Richard Petty will be the winner of the Delaware 500.”