That’s a costly affair.
A jury in Davidson County, North Carolina has awarded a woman $850k (actually $850,002 if we’re being specific) in her lawsuit against a former NASCAR driver who she accused of having an affair with her husband.
The lawsuit was filed by Tracy Hughes, ex-wife of longtime NASCAR spotter Clayton Hughes who has spotted for drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr., and Michael McDowell. And he also spotted for former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb, who made 234 starts in the Truck Series along with 31 races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Her last start in NASCAR came back in 2024.
According to the complaint, Cobb allegedly made phone calls and text messages of a sexual nature to her spotter while also having sexual encounters with him in North Carolina and other states while traveling for races. Tracy Hughes and her husband separated in January 2021, and she later sued Cobb for “alienation of affection” and “criminal conversation.”
Criminal conversation isn’t actually a crime, it’s just a law that allows spouses to sue when someone has sex with their partners while they’re still married. And alienation of affection laws allow spouses to sue someone who causes their spouse to end their marriage. Basically, if your husband has an affair and you divorce him, you can sue his mistress. Both are relatively unique laws these days, with North Carolina being one of only a handful of states that still have laws on the books allowing spouses to sue during an affair.
Cobb was formerly married to Eddie Troconis, who served as her crew chief when she first entered the Truck Series. In 2022, Troconis was arrested for assaulting Clayton Hughes in the campground at Talladega Superspeedway, after allegedly coming up behind him and punching him in the head before repeatedly kicking him in the head and torso. Troconis was suspended by NASCAR at the time, and ultimately found guilty of felony assault after a jury trial.
Troconis and Cobb were still legally married, though the couple had already separated at the time of the incident. He currently serves as crew chief for Ryan Ellis in the #02 car in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Well after a trial in North Carolina, a jury in North Carolina found Cobb liable to Tracy Hughes for the affair and her subsequent divorce, awarding Hughes $50,000 for alienation of affection and $800,000 for criminal conversation. A jury also ordered Cobb to pay punitive damages of…$2, for a grand total of $850,000.
Probably not the most expensive sex on record, but it’s gotta be up there.
After the verdict, Cobb expressed her displeasure at the outcome but vowed to continue fighting the judgment:
“This isn’t over. The judgment has not been entered.”
According to social media, Cobb and Clayton Hughes were apparently still in a relationship as recently as late last year, with the former spotter sharing photos of the two together and publicly praising her career:
What a mess…and it turned out to be quite the expensive affair.
