Jessi Combs may get her spot in the world record books

The culmination of Jessi Combs’ efforts in her North American Eagle land speed racer may have been enough to posthumously crown her the fastest woman in the world.

Combs was killed while making her third run of the day in the land speed racer on August 27, 2019. An accomplished fabricator and racer, Combs had off-road race wins under her belt and had made a dozen runs in the car, over several trips, pushing for higher speeds each time.

The title is currently held by Kitty O’Neil, who set the record in the Alvord Desert in 1976 at 512.710 mph while piloting a rocket-powered car that used hydrogen peroxide as fuel.

Combs’ two-way average in the same Oregon desert was 531.889 mph. In the world of land speed racing, where records are often broken by fractions of a mile per hour, breaking a long-standing record by more than 19 mph is a monumental feat.

An exhibit of Combs’ life and career is currently open at the Petersen Automotive Museum, where it was announced that the results of Jessi’s runs have been submitted to Guinness World Records for consideration to unseat O’Neil for fastest female land speed record.

Expect an official announcement about the record in the weeks to come.