JESSI'S LEGACY

JESSI COMBS

was born in the Black Hills of Rapid City, South Dakota. With a lifelong desire to become a race car driver, she found a love for speed and its machines at a very young age. In addition to her passion for automotive, Jessi was an artist who spent much of her time creating with her own hands. She loved metal working, leather craft and photography, and would create anything she could dream up.

She was an independent and adventurous spirit, boasting the skills and the personality to host and star in shows such as “Overhaulin’,” “Xtreme 4×4” and “Mythbusters.” Not known for sitting still, Jessi began her own metal fab shop building hot rods, motorcycles, custom trucks, race vehicles and more. After realizing a need in the industry, she developed a line of welding gear for ladies. Her ability to create opportunities for women and achieve her goals, all while maintaining her fast-paced and hands-on way of living will forever define Jessi in the hearts of people around the world.

Jessi's Legacy

2004

Graduates from WyoTech with a degree in Custom Automotive Fabrication and is hired to build a 1964 Mercury Cyclone from the ground up to showcase at SEMA in Las Vegas.

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2004

Guest fabricator appearances on Overhaulin’
kickstarted Jessi’s TV career.

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2004-2008

Co-hosted Xtreme 4x4 on Spike TV for 90+ episodes.

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2008

Developed a line of women’s protective welding gear as spokesperson for Lincoln Electric.

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2008-2013

Spokesperson for the American Welding Society.

2009

Filled in as host and builder during season 7 of Mythbusters.

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2011

2nd-place class 10 finish in the Baja 1000, considered the toughest race of its kind.

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2011-2014

Co-host and builder on Velocity Channel’s All Girls Garage

2012-2014

Hosted and built for Overhaulin’s return to TV.

2013

Drove the North American Eagle at record 398 mph with top speed of 440 mph. Becomes The Fastest Woman on 4 Wheels.

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2014

Spec class win in the King of the Hammers made her the first woman to ever place at Ultra4event. KOH is the most brutal one-day desert race in the world with only a 20% finishing rate. She proceeded to podium to finish the entire season & win the national championship [spec class].

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2015

1st-place finish in the First Participation category (10th Place Overall) at the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles: a 9-day, all-woman off-road rally through the Moroccan Sahara using only a compass and 1960 hand-drawn maps.

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2015

Invited as one of the first women to compete in The Race of Gentlemen, driving a twin engine 1913 Model T.

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2015

Jessi’s first children’s book published, “Joey and the Chopper Boys,” a story about a little girl who rides motorcycles.

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2015

Part of all-female driving team that took 2nd-place Class 7 Finish in Baja 1000.

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2015

Created The Real Deal, a lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering others to break stereotypes, shatter expectations and believe that anything is possible.

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2016

1st-place finish in King of the Hammers re-earned Jessi the nickname “Queen of the Hammers.”

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2016

Can be seen on “The List: 1001 Car Things to Do Before You Die” on autoblog.com for Velocity Channel.

2017

Named the official Grand Marshal for the 77th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the 15th Annual Sturgis Mayor’s Ride!   After 77 years, Jessi Combs was the first woman to ever be named Grand Marshal of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

2017

Having never been done before by a {wo}man, Jessi attempts to iron[wo]man the 50th running of the Baja 1000, driving all 1200+ miles solo. Alas Baja won this year, ending Jessi’s attempt at mile 357.

2018

Jessi sets a new personal top speed of 483.277 miles per hour in her pursuit of becoming the fastest women overall.

August 27th 2019:

On August 27th Jessi achieves her dream of setting a new overall women’s land speed record of 522.783 miles per hour breaking the 40 year old previous record set by American stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil, whose jet-powered, three-wheeled vehicle hit 512.7 mph in 1976 in the Alvord Desert. Unfortunately Jessi died in an accident on her final run.

September 23rd 2019:

Jessi’s life, accomplishments and impact on the world are honored in a special exhibit “JESSI COMBS: LIFE AT FULL SPEED” held at the Petersen Automotive Museum, a place she visited often and remarked that one day she’d have her work displayed there. The exhibit marked the official launch of The Jessi Combs Foundation