Jessi Combs - Inducted 2025

JESSI COMBS (Born 1980. Died 2019.)

1998 Rapid City Stevens/2004 WyoTech (Laramie) graduate. Born in Rockerville; moved to her hometown of Piedmont when she was 2; and later to Rapid City when she was older. Extreme athlete and national celebrity in the speed world, she always clung to her South Dakota roots while on a national stage. Broke South Dakota resident Kitty O’Neil’s women’s world record land-speed record on Aug. 27, 2019, in Oregon’s Alvord Desert (where O’Neil had set the record of 512.71 in 1976) when Combs reached 522.783 mph. During the record run, Combs’ jet-powered car crashed and she died in the crash. It was reported that the crash was caused by a failure of a front wheel, likely caused by hitting an object in the desert, which caused the front wheel assembly to collapse at a speed nearing 523 mph. Combs set the women’s four-wheel land-speed record twice, first with a run of 440.709 mph on Oct. 9, 2013, and then broke her own record with a speed of 477.59 on Sept. 7, 2016. Combs, a master metal/custom fabricator and welder, also was a successful professional racer who won numerous races, including an off-road national championship in 2014. Combs broke gender barriers and inspired a generation of women to love motor sports. Combs was a well-known TV personality as a host and guest, especially in the car world. She hosted shows such as “Xtreme 4x4,” “Overhaulin’,” “MythBusters,” and “All Girls Garage.” Combs credited growing up in South Dakota as a huge part of her success, work ethic and drive to succeed and promoted the state and all it had to offer. On Oct. 20, 2022, HBO Max released a documentary (“The Fastest Woman on Earth”) chronicling Combs’ extraordinary life and career.