Sam Krahn 
Jessi Combs has officially been named the fastest woman on earth, at 522.783. The Guinness Book of World Records has just made the announcement almost a year after she tragically died setting the very record that ended her life. Jessi lived life to the fullest, and was an inspiration to people everywhere.
Jessi’s record was set on August 27, 2019 in the Alvord Desert in Oregon. She drove a North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger for a two way average of 522.783 mph, while the fastest recorded speed was 548.432 mph. Authorities believe she hit an object on the desert floor at over 500 mph on her second run, and didn’t have enough time to recover the vehicle.
It’s a bit of positivity for an otherwise sad ending to her story. Jessi was only 39 years old when she died. Given how much she had already done in her life, her future was just as bright as her past before her life was cut short.
Jessi first came on to the automotive scene in 2004 where she helped build a SEMA Show car from the ground up with a classmate. From here, she became a successful racing driver and TV personality.
Jessi raced in the King of the Hammers series, Baja 1000, and many Ultra 4 off-road races. She hosted Xtreme 4×4 on Spike TV and Velocity’s All Girls Garage and reboot of Overhaulin in 2012. She also appeared on Mythbusters, an older version of Overhaulin, and Jay Leno’s Garage as a guest.
Through it all, Jessi’s goal was to disprove female stereotypes and push herself to do the most she possibly could, all resulting in that fateful 2019 top speed run. Jessi wanted to become the fastest female on Earth, and given her determination in the rest of her life, we aren’t at all surprised she hit that target, even if it took the Guinness Book of World Records over a year to finally verify it.
Jessi Combs, we tip our hats. Below is her final Instagram post, which perfectly captures what her life was all about.
