A North Carolina jury has ordered NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb to pay $850,000 in damages related to an affair that ended a 17-year marriage. The ruling comes after Tracey Hughes sued Cobb under the state’s alienation of affection and criminal conversation laws, which allow spouses to seek damages from third parties accused of intentionally interfering in their marriage.

Tracey Hughes filed the lawsuit in 2024, alleging that Cobb engaged in a months-long affair with her then-husband, Clayton Odie Hughes. The case contended that the extramarital relationship caused the couple’s divorce in 2021. According to court documents, Tracey Hughes claimed her marriage was previously “happily” intact before the alleged involvement of Cobb.

The complaint accused Cobb of “willfully, intentionally and deliberately” seducing and alienating Clayton Hughes’s affections, including contacting him frequently by phone and text while traveling for NASCAR events. It also asserted that Cobb arranged “regular trysts” during this period. Tracey Hughes sought compensation for the emotional harm, reputational damage, and loss of support resulting from the breakdown of her marriage.

Cobb, 53, who has competed in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Truck Series from 2001 through 2024, denied the accusations and tried unsuccessfully to have the suit dismissed. On Thursday, the jury sided with Tracey Hughes, awarding $50,000 for alienation of affection and $800,000 for criminal conversation claims.

Clayton Hughes was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The judgment reflects North Carolina’s unique legal stance, one of several states allowing spouses to sue a third party believed to be responsible for the dissolution of a marriage. Cobb’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment and the driver has the option to appeal the verdict.