Jessi Combs was the fastest woman on Earth — a professional racer, metal fabricator, and TV personality who died on August 27, 2019, at 39, while chasing a land speed record. She was later awarded the Guinness World Record at 522.783 mph (841 km/h), making her the official Fastest Woman on Earth.
She did not just break records. She redefined what a woman in motorsport could look like.
Quick Bio Table
| Detail | Info |
| Full Name | Jessica Combs |
| Born | July 27, 1980 |
| Birthplace | Rockerville, South Dakota, USA |
| Died | August 27, 2019 (age 39) |
| Death Location | Alvord Desert, Oregon |
| Education | Stevens High School (1998); WyoTech (2004) |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Net Worth | ~$1–2 million (estimated at time of death) |
| Known For | Land speed records, MythBusters, All Girls Garage |
| Guinness Record | Fastest Woman on Earth — 522.783 mph (June 2020, posthumous) |
Early Life and Education
Jessi Combs was born on July 27, 1980, in Rockerville, South Dakota. Her family moved to Piedmont, South Dakota, when she was just two years old. She had two siblings — Kelly Combs and Danielle Theis — plus three step-siblings.
Speed was in her DNA. Her great-grandmother, Nina DeBow, was a jazz pianist who raced Stanley Steamers. That ancestral love of fast machines planted a seed early. Jessi graduated from Stevens High School in 1998, then briefly chased a snowboarding career in Denver before realizing cars were her true calling.
She enrolled at WyoTech (Wyoming Technical Institute) and graduated at the top of her class in 2004. She studied three programs:
- Collision & Refinishing Core Program
- Street Rod Fabrication and Custom Fabrication
- High-Performance Powertrain
Her first job came before she even left campus. The WyoTech marketing department hired her and a fellow student to build a car from scratch in six months for the SEMA show. That car debuted at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association's annual showcase — and Jessi never looked back.
Career Timeline
![Jessi Combs racing the North American Eagle jet car at speed across a dry lake bed, dusty desert background, alt text: Jessi Combs fastest woman on earth jet car land speed record]
Television Career (2004–2019)
Jessi built her public profile through a string of high-energy TV shows. She was not just a pretty face reading from cue cards. She could weld, fabricate, and outperform most of the men in the room.
| Year | Show | Network | Role |
| 2005–2009 | Xtreme 4x4 | Spike TV | Co-Host (90+ episodes) |
| 2009 | MythBusters (S7) | Discovery | Guest Host/Builder |
| 2011–2014 | All Girls Garage | Velocity | Host |
| 2011–2014 | The List: 1001 Car Things | AOL Autoblog | Co-Host |
| 2012 | Overhaulin' (S6) | Velocity/Discovery | Co-Host |
| 2016 | How to Build... Everything | Science Channel | Presenter |
| 2018 | Jay Leno's Garage | CNBC | Guest Driver (Bugatti Chiron) |
| 2018 | Break Room | Discovery | Panel |
Her Xtreme 4x4 stint ran for over 90 episodes and made her a household name in the automotive world. Her return to TV through MythBusters — replacing Kari Byron on maternity leave — introduced her to an even larger audience. She appeared in all 12 episodes of Season 7.
She was one of the rare people who could explain torque ratios and still hold a prime-time audience.
Racing Career (2011–2019)
Jessi's competitive driving career was as serious as her TV work. She competed in some of motorsport's toughest events.
Key Race Results:
- 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 — 2nd Place, Class 10 (racing debut)
- 2013 Ultra 4 Stampede — 1st Place, Legends Class
- 2014 Ultra 4 Spec Class — National Champion (with Falken Tire)
- 2015 SCORE Baja 1000 — 2nd Place, Class 7 (drove 500 miles over 24 hours including a 5-hour crash/repair stoppage with Paige Sohren)
- 2015 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles — 1st Place, First Participation Category; 10th Overall (with Nicole Pitell)
- 2016 King of the Hammers — 1st Place, EMC Modified Class (Savvy Off Road team)
- 2017 King of the Hammers — 12th Place, Unlimited Class
She trained in drifting, stunt driving, performance racing, evasive driving, and off-road. She was also a stunt and performance driver for film and commercial productions.
Land Speed Records — The Numbers That Made History
This is where Jessi Combs separated herself from every other woman in motorsport history.
Record Timeline
| Date | Speed (Official) | Top Speed | Location | Vehicle |
| October 9, 2013 | 398.954 mph (632 km/h) | 440.709 mph | Alvord Desert, OR | North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger |
| September 7, 2016 | 477.59 mph (768.61 km/h) | — | Alvord Desert, OR | Other American Eagle |
| August 27, 2019 | 522.783 mph (841 km/h) | 548.432 mph (fatal run) | Alvord Desert, OR | NAE Supersonic Challenger |
In 2013, she shattered a 48-year-old record held by Lee Breedlove (308.506 mph, set in 1965). In 2016, she broke her own record again. Her 2019 run — the one that took her life — was later certified by Guinness as the women's absolute land speed world record.
She broke the record held by Kitty O'Neil (512.710 mph, set in 1976 on the same dry lake bed). Combs achieved this in a four-wheeled jet-powered car — a harder technical challenge than the three-wheeled vehicles used in earlier records.
How Did Jessi Combs Die?
![Jessi Combs memorial tribute photo with North American Eagle team in Alvord Desert Oregon, alt text: Jessi Combs memorial Alvord Desert Oregon 2019 tribute]
On August 27, 2019, Jessi Combs was attempting to push past her 2016 speed record in Oregon's Alvord Desert. She made two successful runs — both faster than the previous world record. Then came the third and final run.
What happened:
- The front wheel of the North American Eagle struck an unidentified object in the desert
- This caused a sudden front wheel assembly failure
- The car was traveling at nearly 550 mph when control was lost
- The official cause of death: blunt-force trauma to the head, which occurred before the vehicle caught fire
The Harney County Sheriff's Office and Oregon State Police investigated the accident. The front wheel failure was confirmed as the primary cause. Her fiancé and North American Eagle Project driver, Terry Madden, was at the scene and confirmed the crash details.
She was 39 years old.
Posthumous Recognition (2020–2026 Update)
In June 2020, Guinness World Records officially confirmed Jessi Combs as the Fastest Woman on Earth. The record stood at 522.783 mph (841.338 km/h).
This certification came after Guinness conducted an extensive evidence review of the data submitted by her team. It marked the first time the women's land speed record had been broken in over 40 years.
2026 Legacy Notes:
- The documentary The Fastest Woman on Earth (HBO) aired and introduced her story to a new generation
- The North American Eagle Project continues to honor her memory through STEM outreach
- Multiple motorsport foundations now offer scholarships in her name to support women in racing
- She remains the only woman to hold both the four-wheel land speed record and the overall women's land speed world record simultaneously
For more profiles of trailblazing personalities in sports and entertainment, see our biography of Colt Prattes — the dancer and actor who also built his career through relentless discipline.
Jessi Combs Net Worth
Jessi Combs had an estimated net worth of $1–2 million at the time of her death in 2019. Her income came from multiple streams:
- Television hosting across Spike TV, Velocity, Discovery, and Science Channel
- Racing prize money and sponsorships (including Falken Tire and Savvy Off Road)
- Brand partnerships and event appearances
- Her 2015 book — Joey and the Chopper Boys, a children's story about being a girl in a boy's world
- Commercial and film stunt driving
She lived frugally by celebrity standards. Her wealth was built on skills, not celebrity deals. Her fabrication shop in California produced custom automotive work, art, and furniture — a side business that reflected her dual identity as both artist and engineer.
Personal Life
Jessi Combs kept her personal life relatively private. She had several notable relationships over the years:
- Ian Johnson — Her co-host on Xtreme 4x4. The two were rumored to have been briefly married, though details remain unconfirmed publicly.
- Chris Jacobs — Her Overhaulin' co-host. They were reported to have dated after the show's relaunch.
- Terry Madden — Her fiancé at the time of her death. Madden was a professional racer and the primary driver for the North American Eagle Project. He was present at the Alvord Desert on August 27, 2019.
She was also a passionate photographer and leathercraft artist outside of racing and TV. She published Joey and the Chopper Boys in 2015 — a children's book designed to encourage girls to pursue "boy's world" hobbies without apology.
Looking for another strong personality profile? Read about Glena Goranson and Pete Carroll — another private power couple who defied expectations in a tough industry.
Why Jessi Combs Matters in 2026
The world has caught up to what Jessi already knew in 2011. Women belong in motorsport, in fabrication shops, and behind the wheel of jet cars doing 522 mph.
Her lasting impact:
- She was the first woman to podium at King of the Hammers in Ultra 4 racing
- She hosted a prime-time TV show about female mechanics at a time when the genre barely existed
- She proved that skilled fabricators can also be record-breaking racers
- She never used the phrase "for a woman" — she competed, period
The Guinness certification in 2020 was not just a stat. It was a correction. The world finally caught up and said: yes, you were the fastest.
Other individuals who pushed boundaries in their careers, often without the recognition they deserved, are profiled across the BigWriteHook biography section — including Belle Gibson, whose story is a very different kind of cautionary tale about ambition and legacy.
FAQ:
Q: What is Jessi Combs known for?
A: Jessi Combs was an American racer, metal fabricator, and TV personality. She is best known for hosting Xtreme 4x4, appearing on MythBusters, and holding the Guinness World Record as the Fastest Woman on Earth at 522.783 mph.
Q: When did Jessi Combs die and how?
A: Jessi Combs died on August 27, 2019, in the Alvord Desert, Oregon. A front wheel failure on her jet-powered car caused a crash at nearly 550 mph. The official cause was blunt-force trauma to the head. She was 39 years old.
Q: Did Jessi Combs actually break the land speed record?
A: Yes. Guinness World Records posthumously certified her speed of 522.783 mph, set on August 27, 2019, as the official women's land speed world record. This broke the previous record of 512.710 mph set by Kitty O'Neil in 1976.
Q: What was Jessi Combs' net worth?
A: At the time of her death in 2019, Jessi Combs had an estimated net worth of $1–2 million. Her income came from TV hosting, racing sponsorships, stunt driving, brand work, and her book.
Q: Who was Jessi Combs engaged to when she died?
A: Jessi Combs was engaged to Terry Madden, a professional racer and the primary driver for the North American Eagle Project. He was present at the Alvord Desert on the day of her fatal accident.
References
- Wikipedia — Jessi Combs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessi_Combs
- Guinness World Records (via Hagerty Media): https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/jessi-combs-guinness-record-fastest-female/
- The Drive — Fastest Woman on Earth Award: https://www.thedrive.com/news/34320/jessi-combs-named-fastest-woman-on-earth-posthumously-by-guinness-world-records
- SEMA News — Official Land Speed Record Announcement: https://www.sema.org/news-media/enews/2020/26/racing-news-jessi-combs-officially-breaks-female-land-speed-record
- Jessi Combs Official Website — Driver/Racer page: https://www.jessicombs.com/driver-racer
- Performance Racing Industry — Posthumous Record: https://performanceracing.com/magazine/industry-news/06-25-2020/jessi-combs-named-fastest-woman-earth
- TFL Car — Guinness Certification Report: https://tflcar.com/2020/06/jessi-combs-listed-worlds-fastest-woman/
- TVovermind — Career Retrospective: https://tvovermind.com/remembering-jessi-combs-racer-extraordinaire/
Last updated: April 2026
