Adrienne Janic is paying tribute to her Overhaulin’ co-star and renowned racer Jessi Combs after she passed away Tuesday in a jet-car crash. Combs had been attempting to break her own land-speed record in the Alvord Desert at the time of her death. Along with starring on Mythbusters, she also co-hosted Overhaulin’ from 2012 until 2014, the same series which Janic had co-hosted from 2005 until 2006.
R.I.P Jessi Combs 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/41Z5wdRXVI
— Adrienne Janic (@AdrienneJanic) August 28, 2019
Fans were quick to take to the comments section of the post to send their condolences to Janic in the wake of the tragic news, many also paying their own tribute to Combs.
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“Wow unbelievable very sad news,” one person wrote. “RIP.”
“No way!!! That is too soon for her,” added another. “I wish family and friends all the strength of the world to recover from this big loss.”
“That is surreal. So very sad,” wrote a third. “I always enjoyed her in the various tv programs.”
After news of Combs’ death broke, fellow Overhaulin’ star Chris Jacobs also paid his respects on social media, writing on Instagram that he was “very saddened by the news of” Combs’ passing. He added that she was an icon in our industry and she will be missed.”
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The Harney County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that authorities were called to the scene of the crash, which happened about 90 miles south of Burns, Oregon, on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Combs’ vehicle had reportedly been traveling at an extremely high speed when it failed to stop, resulting in a car accident that was “equivalent to an airplane crash.” She was just 39.
According to a description of the car she was driving, it was an idea “to take a jet fighter, and turn it into the fastest racing machine in history. When all of this started, it really was nothing more than a few guys in a garage, scraping paint and shaping sheets of metal. Every step of putting the vehicle together has made the dream just a little more real. Now we move onto the ultimate goal of going supersonic.”
An automotive world legend, Combs held the title of “fastest woman on four wheels” after setting a record of 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger in 2013. In 2018, she piloted that same vehicle to a speed of 483.227 mph.
