NASCAR Driver Jennifer Jo Cobb Ordered to Pay $850,000 in Affair Lawsuit
A North Carolina jury found the former driver liable for alienation of affection and criminal conversation.
NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb has been ordered to pay $850,000 in damages following a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who accused Cobb of having an affair with her husband. The jury awarded Tracey Hughes $50,000 for alienation of affection and $800,000 for criminal conversation.
Tracey Hughes sued Cobb, 53, alleging that the former driver's affair with her husband, Clayton Odie Hughes, led to the end of their 17-year marriage in 2020. According to the complaint, Cobb "willfully, intentionally, and deliberately seduced, enticed, and alienated the affections" of Clayton Odie Hughes over several months, contributing to the couple's separation in January 2021.
Hughes claimed she had a happy marriage until Cobb's alleged involvement. The complaint stated that Hughes suffered "the loss of support, injury to [her] feelings and reputation, and had her marital relationship destroyed." She sought damages exceeding $25,000 for both claims, plus $25,000 in punitive damages.
The verdict was delivered by a jury in Davidson County, North Carolina, on September 24.
Cobb, a native of Kansas City, has had a two-decade career in NASCAR, beginning in 2004 and last racing in 2024. She competed in various series, including the NASCAR Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Menards Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Cobb also owned her own team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing. She was married to fellow NASCAR driver Eddie Troconis in 2015.
