The Baja 1000 was covered by Jim McKay one year .
From 1967 to 1972 , the Baja 1000 race was organized by the National Off-Road Racing Association ( NORRA ) and grew in popularity with ABC 's `` Wide World of Sports '' sending Jim Manny to cover the 1968 event and attracting new participants like the late Mickey Thompson , Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones , movie actor James Garner , and Mary McGee , the first woman to compete in the event .