(CNN) Race car driver Jessi Combs, who earned the title of the "fastest woman on four wheels" after she set a record with a jet-powered car, died Tuesday while trying to beat a land speed record, officials said.

Combs died Tuesday in Alvord Desert in southeast Oregon, the Harney County Sheriff's Office said. She was 39.

"She was a brilliant & to[p]-notch builder, engineer, driver, fabricator, and science communicator, & strove everyday to encourage others by her prodigious example," said Adam Savage, former co-host of the TV show "Mythbusters."

Combs appeared in multiple episodes of the show, while host Kari Byron was on maternity leave. She also appeared as a host in shows such as "All Girls Garage" and "Overhaulin'."

I'm so so sad, Jessi Combs has been killed in a crash. She was a brilliant & too-notch builder, engineer, driver, fabricator, and science communicator, & strove everyday to encourage others by her prodigious example. She was also a colleague, and we are lesser for her absence. — Adam Savage (@donttrythis) August 28, 2019

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