Jessi Combs: Racing’s Relentless Trailblazer

From a dusty South Dakota town to the edge of supersonic speed, Jessi Combs lived a life defined by velocity, tenacity, and unshakable ambition. Her story is one of breaking barriers — not only for women in motorsports, but for anyone whose dreams seem out of reach. This is the life of a woman who became “the fastest on four wheels,” carved her own path in a male-dominated world, and left a legacy that still challenges limits.

Born to Build — Growing up in the Black Hills

Jessi Combs’s journey began on July 27, 1980 — her birthdate — in Rockerville, South Dakota, deep in the Black Hills.  Raised among a blended family with siblings and step-siblings, Combs grew up watching her great-grandmother Nina DeBow — a free-spirited jazz pianist who once raced steam-powered cars. That family history anchored her early fascination with machines.

Though offered a scholarship for interior design, she turned down the conventional path. Instead, she enrolled at WyoTech in Wyoming, studying Custom Automotive Fabrication. She graduated in 2004 at the top of her class.

Her education wasn’t just academic — it laid the foundation for everything that followed: from hot rods to jet-powered land-speed cars.

Craft, Cameras, and Custom Builds: Bridging Fabrication and Fame

With those fabrication skills in hand, Jessi entered a world rarely open to women. Her mechanical talent soon attracted attention beyond the garage. She began appearing as a metal fabricator and builder on automotive television — work that would evolve into a full-blown media presence.

Among her early major gigs was co-hosting Xtreme 4x4 on Spike TV for more than 90 episodes between 2005 and 2009.  After a brief on-set accident, she shifted focus but maintained momentum — appearing on shows like Overhaulin’ and even filling in on MythBusters during the show’s seventh season.

Beyond TV, Jessi built her own metal fabrication shop, built custom hot rods, trucks, and bikes — and launched a line of welding gear designed specifically for women, tackling head-on the glaring lack of representation and accessibility in trades often dominated by men.

In this phase of her life, she wasn’t just building cars — she was forging a new identity for what a woman in the automotive world could be: technically skilled, creative, and unafraid.

From Off-Road Grit to Jet Car Dreams

Combs didn’t limit herself to garages or TV sets. She was a driver — and a damned good one. She raced in grueling off-road and endurance events, from the storied Baja 1000 to the brutal rock-strewn course of King of the Hammers. In 2014 she became the first woman to ever place in an Ultra4 event — winning the Spec Class National Championship that year. 

But Combs’s eyes were on something faster — much faster. In 2013 she strapped into the jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger and set a women’s four-wheel land-speed record: a run of 398.954 mph with a top speed reaching 440.709 mph. That run shattered a decades-old record.

Her hunger for speed didn’t stop. In 2016 she coaxed more velocity out of the Eagle, and over the years her team worked tirelessly toward an even greater goal — reclaiming land-speed supremacy for North America.

Jessi lived as if the throttle pedal was wired to her soul. Every build, every race, every hour in the shop brought her closer to the ultimate dream.

The Final Run — Triumph and Tragedy

On August 27, 2019, at Oregon’s desolate Alvord Desert, Jessi Combs made her final attempt at history. That day she reached a speed estimated at over 520 mph — enough, at least unofficially, to surpass the long-standing female land-speed record of 512 mph set in 1976. Her dream was within reach.

Tragically, a mechanical failure caused the jet-car to crash. The front wheel assembly collapsed, and the car became engulfed in flames. The official cause of death was blunt-force trauma before the fire. 

The news shattered the motorsport world. But only months later, in June 2020, the record was officially recognized posthumously by Guinness World Records — crowning Jessi as “the fastest woman on earth” at 522.783 mph. 

Her final run became both a victory and a loss — a blazing testament to her bravery, and a stark reminder of the risks she embraced.

What Was Her Net Worth — And What It Reveals

At the time of her passing, multiple sources estimated Jessi Combs’s net worth to be approximately US $1 million. 

That figure, modest by celebrity standards, belies a far deeper legacy. For Jessi, success wasn’t in millions of dollars — it was in moments of speed, in breaking norms, in building something impossible. Her impact can’t be measured only by balance sheets.

Love, Family, and the People She Left Behind

Beyond the roar of engines and the glare of cameras, Jessi was deeply rooted in family and relationships. Her parents — Jamie Combs and Nina Darrington — and a blended mix of siblings and step-siblings shaped her early life in South Dakota. 

At the time of her death, she was in a relationship with Terry Madden, whom she referred to as her “love.” Her family’s public statement described her as radiant, positive, and inspiring — “a role model for young girls and women around the world.” 

Her great-grandmother — the aforementioned jazz-pianist/steam-car racer — remained a celebrated influence, credited with passing on a fearless, free-spirited DNA that Jessi honored through gasoline, metal, and speed. 

Why Jessi Combs Still Matters

In a world that too often prescribes what’s “possible” based on gender, background, or bank account — Jessi Combs refused the script. She merged fabrication, racing, television, advocacy, and art into a single vibrant career. She built cars, she raced to their limit, she broke records — and shattered stereotypes.

Her legacy lives on through the Jessi Combs Foundation, which supports women pursuing careers in trades and motorsports. 

Even more powerfully, her life offers a template: be fearless, build with your hands, and always leave the throttle down.

Remembering Her Birthday and What It Signified

Jessi Combs’s birthday — July 27, 1980 — marked the beginning of a remarkable, unconventional journey.

Today, fans and fellow racers remember that date not just to honor her memory — but to celebrate the spirit she embodied: relentless, creative, and unafraid to accelerate into the unknown.