{"id":64840,"date":"2019-08-28T09:27:52","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T16:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=64840"},"modified":"2019-08-28T11:31:09","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T18:31:09","slug":"jessi-combs-dead-in-land-speed-racing-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/jessi-combs-dead-in-land-speed-racing-accident\/","title":{"rendered":"Jessi Combs Dead in Land-Speed Racing Accident"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jessi
Photo Courtesy: Jessi Combs Facebook Page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We all know racing isn’t safe.\u00a0 For those who love it, the risk is part of the reward.\u00a0 They know what they’re getting into.\u00a0 But, that never lessens the tragedy when the sport claims someone.\u00a0 Jessi Combs is no exception.<\/p>\n

Combs was known as the “Fastest Woman on Four Wheels” for her record-setting runs in jet cars, and on August 27th,\u00a0 she set out to the\u00a0Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed in\u00a0southeast Oregon to break another record in her North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger jet car.\u00a0 She’d first set a record of\u00a0398 mph\u00a0in in 2013, and had been attempting to break it since.\u00a0 Instead, she suffered a fatal crash. Combs was 36.<\/p>\n

Combs was not only beloved amongst those in the race community, but was a face of the sport for more casual viewers and fans.\u00a0 A welder, builder and fabricator as well as a driver, Combs was an integral part of all aspects of racing and performance.<\/p>\n

She appeared on Xtreme 4×4 for four years before an accident to her spinal cord and the subsequent recovery lead her to move on to new pursuits.\u00a0 She continued to appear on shows like\u00a02 Guys Garage, TruckU and others before taking over for Kari Byron as a host and builder on the 7th season of Mythbusters.<\/p>\n

The experience helped her develop her own voice and hosting abilities, which she brought to All Girls Garage and Overhaulin on Velocity Network.<\/p>\n

Combs was driven — as a builder, a television personality, and an educator. But she was, more than anything, a racer. Competing not only as a land-speed racer, but as an off-road driver, she raced in the Ultra4’s King of the Hammers, taking home a Spec Class win in 2014, completing the Baja 1000 and racing in the\u00a0Aicha des Gazelles rally race.\u00a0 In 2013, she joined\u00a0 the\u00a0North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger jet car team as a driver, completing a record pass.\u00a0 Last year, she’d attempted another record in the vehicle, hitting 483.227 mph before mechanical issues halted the run.\u00a0 She was doing another pass at the record yesterday when the accident occurred.<\/p>\n

Outpourings of support and sorrow have already started to flow from the race and enthusiast community.\u00a0 Combs was well-known and well-loved for her ambition, strength, talent and presence.\u00a0 She broke literal barriers, both for women in the sport, and for the perception of what was possible as a racer in general.<\/p>\n

Her own Twitter post,<\/a> right before the accident, confirmed that while Combs new the risks of her chosen passion, she also understood the rewards: “It may seem a little crazy to walk directly into the line of fire… those who are willing, are those who achieve great things. . . People say I\u2019m crazy. I say thank you \ud83d\ude09 .”<\/p>\n

Team member Terry Madden confirmed the accident yesterday, and posted a tribute to Combs on his Instagram.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Terry L. Madden (@terry_madden)<\/a> on