A North Carolina woman says she was ’empowered’ by a lawsuit that led to NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb being ordered to pay her $850,000.
Tracey Hughes was awarded an eye-opening amount by a jury on Thursday under the state’s homewrecker law after alleging Cobb had an affair with her husband and broke up her 17-year marriage.
Hughes’ marriage to Clayton Odie Hughes ended in January 2021. The pair, who have two children, both worked in NASCAR and she told WFMY: ‘I felt like my whole world had just blown up.’
But she took legal action and says that entirely changed her perspective after her life was turned upside down.
‘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.’
A North Carolina jury sided with Hughes and ordered Cobb, 53, to pay $50,000 for alienation of affection and $800,000 for criminal conversation.
Tracy Hughes has broken her silence after being awarded $850,000 by a jury in North Carolina
NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb has been ordered to pay damages to Hughes over an alleged affair with her husband that she claims ended her marriage of over 17 years
‘It’s more important, I think, to be vindicated. The money figure was, I think, just a statement maybe by the jury,’ Hughes said.
Her attorney, John Vermitsky, explained: ‘Alienation of affection is any wrongful act that a third party does to diminish the feelings of affection of one spouse for another, and it actually doesn’t require sex.’
Cobb says the final judgement has not been entered to finalize the ruling and post-trial motions are ongoing, per WFMY. She reportedly wants to differentiate between the jury’s decision and any legal orders.
Cobb, a longtime NASCAR Truck Series driver who last raced in 2024, was sued by Hughes on January 5 of that year over the alleged affair.
Hughes’ complaint, seen by the Daily Mail, claimed that Cobb ‘willfully, intentionally, and deliberately seduced, enticed, and alienated the affections’ of her husband.
This allegedly went on for several months until the couple separated in January 2021, according to the legal filing. Hughes said she had been happily married until Cobb entered the fray.
The heartbroken divorcee alleged in her complaint that Cobb called and texted her husband while traveling to races, and set up secret meetings for sex.
Hughes stated that she ‘suffered the loss of support, injury to [her] feelings and reputation, and had her marital relationship destroyed’ by the alleged affair.
Cobb pictured with Clayton Odie Hughes, who was previously married to Tracey Hughes
Cobb has been sued for damages under North Carolina laws due to their relationship
She sought damages in excess of $25,000 for both the alienation of affection and criminal conversation claims, along with $25,000 in punitive damages.
In civil law, a deserted spouse can claim damages for alienation of affection if they can prove a third party intentionally destroyed the love and affection in their marriage.
They must show that they had a loving marriage before the interference, and that this was taken away by the actions of the third party.
Criminal conversation is also a civil tort rather than a crime, despite its name, which allows a person to sue somebody for having sexual relations with their spouse while their marriage is still in tact.
A jury returned a verdict in Hughes’ favor on September 24 in Davidson County, and awarded her $850,000 – much more than she bargained for.
Cobb, from Kansas City, also had a husband. She married Eddie Troconis, another former stock car driver and now a crew chief who was once her team member, in what she described as a ‘fairy tale wedding’ in 2015.
It’s unclear whether they separated before or after the alleged affair with Hughes.
Cobb’s two-decade-long NASCAR career began in 2004 and her last race was 2024. She owned her own team – Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing – alongside being a racing driver herself, specializing in stock car competitions.
Cobb previously raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
The Daily Mail has contacted Cobb for comment on the civil lawsuit and alleged affair.
