"TV reporter turned motorsports insider — believer in doing what you love."
Bernadette Sanicola is a Los Angeles native and one of the most versatile voices in sports broadcasting and automotive media. A University of Southern California graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism, she built a career over 15+ years spanning the pit lane, the network studio, the radio booth, the podcast mic, and the boardroom.
As a national on-air pit reporter and field producer for Fox Sports, Bernadette covered NASCAR and IMSA series races across the country — standing pit-side at Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach, conducting live driver and team principal interviews, and scripting feature segments with Fox's production teams. She was part of the channel's transition from SPEED to Fox Sports 1 at launch.
Before Fox, Bernadette spent five seasons as a live pit reporter for the American Le Mans Series, broadcasting to a global audience on ALMS Radio and Sirius/XM Radio. It was that deep, firsthand credibility inside the ALMS and IMSA paddock — knowing the cars, the teams, and the players from the inside — that later led CNBC to seek her out as a featured expert witness for a major primetime documentary. More on that below.
"I enjoy consistent growth and truly enjoy sharing the knowledge I learn with people around me — whether it's on TV or in a weekly dealership product meeting."— Bernadette Sanicola
Bernadette's CBS career came in two distinct chapters. First, as an automotive advertising account executive at CBS Radio's KNX1070 in Los Angeles — a role that placed her at the intersection of the car industry and broadcast media, and where she built a lasting partnership with colleague Tom Smith. That relationship would later evolve into the iDriveSoCal podcast. Her second CBS chapter: freelance reporter and behind-the-scenes producer for CBS Television, packaging on-camera interviews and network-standard content for primetime programming.
Earlier at Cox Communications, Bernadette earned two of her most significant broadcast credentials — an Emmy Award for the HS Game of the Week (Pacific Southwest) and an Emmy nomination as co-host of the roundtable show "Out of Boundz." She also hosted and produced a boxing series and called play-by-play for USC and UCLA athletics. As a regular contributor to KABC 790 AM's Peter Tilden Show, she added radio personality to an already wide-ranging media portfolio.
A Columbia Business School Executive Education alumna in Digital Marketing Strategy & Analytics, Bernadette brings rare dual authority: decades of live broadcast credibility and boardroom-level business acumen deployed daily across one of the most competitive luxury automotive markets in the country.
During her years as a pit reporter covering the ALMS and IMSA series, Bernadette had regular access to Scott Tucker's Level 5 Motorsports team — reporting from the paddock at Daytona, Sebring, and Long Beach as the team competed across the country. At the time, Tucker appeared to be simply another passionate amateur racer turned team owner. What nobody in the paddock knew was that his entire operation was being funded by billions in predatory payday loan fraud against more than 4.5 million Americans.
When CNBC reached out in connection with their investigation, Bernadette's years of firsthand pit lane coverage of Tucker and his team made her a natural fit for the episode. She appeared on camera to speak to what the motorsports world saw from the inside — her perspective as someone who had genuinely been there, covering the races as they happened.
It's the kind of credit that's hard to manufacture: being present, doing the work, and having that experience carry weight years later in a completely different context. Tucker was ultimately convicted in 2017 and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison.
For Bernadette, cars have never been just a job. They're a genuine passion — something she's talked about, written about, reported on, and lived with her whole career. The iDriveSoCal podcast became a natural outlet for that enthusiasm: a place to share what she knows, geek out on what she loves, and bring listeners along for the ride.
Alongside host Tom Smith, Bernadette contributes car reviews, automotive news, and real-world driving impressions — the kind of honest, enthusiast-first content that comes from someone who genuinely cares about what's under the hood. Her episodes include everything from the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid to the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan, always delivered with the curiosity and warmth of someone who just loves talking cars.
iDriveSoCal covers vehicle reviews, mobility trends, and automotive culture from the self-described car capital of the world — Southern California. For Bernadette, it's an extension of everything she's always done: finding stories in the things she's passionate about and sharing that excitement with anyone willing to listen.
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and at iDriveSoCal.com — it's Bernadette at her most natural.
Since 2015, Bernadette Sanicola has been a driving force at BMW of Sherman Oaks (Lithia Motors) — first at Center BMW and through the dealership's acquisition and full modernization. Over nearly 11 years she helped transform a family-run store into a top-performing BMW location, and today holds one of the most expansive multi-role mandates in the building.
Her Columbia Business School Executive Education certificate in Digital Marketing Strategy & Analytics directly shaped her approach to the store's digital presence — SEO strategy, website development, and marketing communications that perform. She is the rare executive who moves fluently between a finance desk, a VIP delivery, an HR matter, and a content brief.
Bernadette doesn't just cover motorsports — she lives it on her own time. An avid F1 fan, she travels to as many Formula 1 Grand Prix races as possible, chasing the spectacle, strategy, and global community that makes F1 the absolute pinnacle of the sport. For her, race weekends aren't work trips. They're a calling.
Whether it's a championship race weekend, a major NFL game, or any sports-driven event on the calendar, Bernadette is drawn to the energy of elite competition. Sports aren't just her career — they're a way of life and a constant source of passion and inspiration.
Away from the cameras and the showroom floor, Bernadette enjoys recreational horseback riding — a pursuit that offers a very different kind of horsepower. It's her way of slowing down, staying grounded, and connecting with something completely removed from the fast lane.Connect
Available for on-air hosting · reporting · brand partnerships · automotive & lifestyle content · speaking · podcast guesting