Jessi Combs

Jessi Combs was an American professional racer, TV host, and metal fabricator whose fearless need for speed lead to her setting a land speed class record in 2013, breaking her own record in 2016, and earning the nickname "the fastest woman on four wheels," though sadly a third attempt to break her own record in 2019 would lead to her tragic death. Born in Rockerville, SD, Combs was raised in nearby Piedmont alongside her three siblings and two step siblings. After graduating from Stevens High School in 1998, Combs enrolled at WyoTech, a technical college based out of Laramie, WY, where she studied in the school's Collision & Refinishing Core program, the Street Rod Fabrication program, and the Custom Fabrication and High Performance Powertrain programs. She graduated from WyoTech in 2004 at the top of her class, and was immediately hired by the school's marketing department to build a car from the ground up in six months to debut at that year's Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) showcase. After that job ended, Combs was hired as the host of "Xtreme 4x4," a segment on the long running automotive TV program "Powerblock" (TNN/The Paramount Network, 1999-), a job she would hold for the next four years. After leaving "Powerblock," Combs did a guest spot on the seventh season of "MythBusters" (Discovery Channel, 2003-), filling in for co-host Kari Byron, who was on maternity leave. While serving as co-host of the classic automobile show "All Girls Garage" (Motor Trend Network, 2011-14), Combs broke the women's 4-wheel land speed record on October 9, 2013, driving the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger across Oregon's Alvord Desert at a top speed of 440.709 mph, smashing the previous record of 308.506 mph by Lee Breedlove in 1965. Combs would break her own record three years later, on September 7, 2016, speeding across the Alvord Desert at 477.59 mph. She continued to show up on TV during this time, co-hosting the sixth season of the automotive reality show "Overhaulin" (TLC/Motor Trend Network, 2004-), and appearing on "Break Room" (Discovery Channel, 2018-), and "Jay Leno's Garage" (CNBC, 2015-). On August 27, 2019, Combs returned once again to Alvord Desert, Oregon, to attempt to break her own land speed record from 2016. During her attempt, Combs was in the middle of completing her second run, averaging a land speed of 531.89 mph, when the North American Eagle she was driving crashed, killing her instantly. Jessi Combs was 39 years old.