North Carolina judge orders Jennifer Jo Cobb to pay $850,000 in alienation, criminal conversation case

A Davidson County, North Carolina, judge ordered NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb to pay $850,000 after a lawsuit by Tracey Hughes alleging Cobb had an affair with Hughes’s then-husband, longtime NASCAR spotter Clayton Hughes, OutKick’s “Nightcaps” column reported Oct. 1, 2026.

OutKick reported that the court awarded $50,000 for alienation of affection and $800,000 for criminal conversation. The column said Tracey Hughes filed the suit in 2024, alleging the relationship began months before her 2021 divorce.

OutKick noted that alienation of affection and criminal conversation are civil claims allowed in only five U.S. states: North Carolina, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah and Hawaii. The column described alienation of affection as a tort for intentionally spurring the end of a marriage and criminal conversation as a civil claim allowing a spouse to sue a third party for sexual relations with their partner while the marriage was intact.

The column also summarized Cobb’s racing resume, saying she has 31 NASCAR O’Reilly Series starts over a 15-year span and 234 Truck Series starts, including a sixth-place finish at Daytona in 2011, according to OutKick.

Separately, OutKick’s Oct. 1, 2026, column reported early college football TV ratings are down about 11% year over year, calling the early returns “concerning.”

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