John Kernan

Drag Racing Pit Reporter

John Kernan re-joined ESPN’s motorsports coverage team in 2007 as a pit reporter for NHRA drag racing. Kernan was part of ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR from 1990-2000. He also previously served as anchor of BassCenter, a bass fishing news and information show.

Prior to joining ESPN, Kernan was a sports anchor/reporter for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Va., from 1983 to 1992, where he first appeared on ESPN, contributing reports and features for SpeedWeek, a weekly motorsports news program. In 1990, Kernan joined ESPN as a pit reporter for its coverage of NASCAR racing, and in 1996 he went on to host ESPN2's RPM 2Night. In 1998, Kernan added RPM Radio: NASCAR Now to his duties.

A native of Irondale, Mo., Kernan worked as a disc jockey at KFTW-AM in Fredericktown, Mo., in high school in 1975. A lifelong racing fan, he raced AMA motocross events in the area and became a fan of NASCAR after a senior class trip to Daytona Beach that included a tour of the speedway. His love for fishing began as a hobby, and stemmed from a lifelong passion for the sport.

Kernan received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1986. 

Kernan received numerous awards for his work at WDBJ-TV including: Four awards from the National Motorsports Press Association for news and features; the 1991 UPI Southern Region Broadcast Award for sports reporting; and the Virginia AP Broadcasters Award for sports coverage in 1984 and 1986.

In his spare time, Kernan enjoys fishing, boating and flying airplanes.

###