NASCAR Driver Jennifer Jo Cobb Ordered to Pay $850,000 in 'Homewrecker' Lawsuit

A North Carolina woman has been awarded $850,000 in a lawsuit against NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was accused of having an affair with the woman's husband. Tracey Hughes stated that the legal action provided her with a sense of empowerment after her 17-year marriage to Clayton Odie Hughes ended in January 2021.

A jury in Davidson County ruled in favor of Hughes on September 24, awarding her $850,000. The award was divided into $800,000 for criminal conversation and $50,000 for alienation of affection. Hughes told WFMY that the jury's decision was a statement and that she felt vindicated.

"The lawsuit gave me power," Hughes said. "It empowered me, it gave me focus. It gave me a job to do and stand up for myself."

Alienation of affection, as explained by Hughes' attorney John Vermitsky, involves a third party's wrongful actions that diminish one spouse's affection for the other, and it does not require sexual relations. Criminal conversation, despite its name, is also a civil tort that allows a spouse to sue for sexual relations with their partner while the marriage is still intact.

Hughes' complaint, filed on January 5, 2024, alleged that Cobb "willfully, intentionally, and deliberately seduced, enticed, and alienated the affections" of her husband over several months. Hughes claimed her marriage was happy until Cobb's alleged involvement, and that she suffered the loss of support, injury to her feelings and reputation, and the destruction of her marital relationship. She initially sought damages exceeding $25,000 for each claim, along with $25,000 in punitive damages.

Cobb, a former NASCAR Truck Series driver who last raced in 2024, has reportedly stated that a final judgment has not yet been entered and post-trial motions are ongoing. She reportedly wishes to distinguish between the jury's verdict and any official legal orders. Cobb, who previously owned her own team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, had a career spanning two decades in various stock car competitions.

It is unclear whether Cobb's own marriage to Eddie Troconis, a former stock car driver and crew chief whom she married in 2015, was impacted by these events prior to or after the alleged affair with Hughes' husband.