Jennifer Jo Cobb to discuss extreme living on 'Anderson Cooper 360'

NASCAR driver and owner Jennifer Jo Cobb was interviewed this week for CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" in a segment slated to air next week on the news network.

In an appearance recorded Dec. 21, Cobb is one of a group of athletes to discuss extreme living with chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanya Gupta. Also interviewed were ultramarathon champion Scott Jurek and 13-year-old Jordan Romero, the youngest person to climb Mount Everest.

The segment with Cobb will air Tuesday, Dec. 28, at 10 p.m. ET.

"It was exciting to talk with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about extreme living," Cobb said. "This was a great opportunity to discuss the lifestyle associated with a NASCAR driver. Most race fans only see what takes place at the race track. They don't get to see what we're like when we aren't at a speedway. I get lots of questions about what I do in my spare time and what I enjoy doing when I'm not racing. Hopefully this will give the folks at home some insight into the sport, and what drivers are all about." 

Coming off her rookie year in the Camping World Truck Series, Cobb finished 17th in the final points standings, becoming the highest-finishing female driver in history of one of NASCAR's three top-tier series. Though 2010 marked her first full season in the Truck Series, the Kansas City, Kan., native has nearly 20 years of racing under her belt.

Recently, Cobb had the honor of being nominated for the NMPA Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award for the fourth quarter of 2010. The award recognizes character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports.

 NASCAR executive Jim Hunter received the award posthumously. Cobb was nominated along with Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Marcy Scott, Atlanta Motor Speedway director of marketing and promotion.

"Perhaps my biggest honor of the year, to receive a mention" alongside the three individuals, Cobb said on her Facebook page.


Off the track, Cobb is involved with the "The Ride," a VH1 Entertainment Films motorsports-themed TV show slated as a replacement series for 2011. Cobb will play herself in the recurring role and will serve as a creative consultant for the show, which will focus on the "exploits of a tight-knit group of drivers from different worlds set in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina."

Cobb's appearance on "Anderson Cooper 360" marks the third by a NASCAR driver on CNN since the season ended in late November. Five-time consecutive champion Johnson appeared on "Parker Spitzer" after winning his latest title. Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon unveiled his new AARP Drive to End Hunger paint scheme for 2011 on the network's "American Morning" show earlier this month.

Jennifer Jo Cobb has been interviewed twice by Skirts and Scuffs columnist Lindi Bess for the Women in NASCAR Series. Learn more about Cobb and her background in this interview, in which she describes her "extreme" adventure of jumping off the Stratosphere hotel, and this one conducted before the season finale at Homestead.