According to a report by Fox News, a Harney County Sheriff's official stated that "There was a fire involved." but did not elaborate further. I noticed that in photos of her in the car, she appears to be wearing an oxygen mask. I wonder if the possible use of oxygen and the mention of fire could somehow be related. If the driver became incapacitated, it could also explain why the vehicle didn't stop in the allocated area. Hopefully, more details will follow.
Also, I seriously doubt that any attempt on an FIA record was involved. To the best of my knowledge, the only applicable FIA records for thrust-powered vehicles are for the Blue Flame (Category C-TH-RT) at 630+MPH and the Thrust SSC (Category C-TH-JE) at 763+MPH. I don't think they were shooting for either of those (only the latter would apply), and with FIA records, there is no gender-based discrimination.
Jeff from Boise