The 29-year-old civilian project assistant is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Camp Liberty, Iraq, about 10 miles west of Baghdad. She's been in Iraq for about six months and called Kansas Speedway this week to buy two season tickets.

"I called to get the tickets because I wanted to be 100 percent sure of what I was doing. I wanted to confirm that I was buying tickets to all five races.

"I guess I'm that big of a race fan."

Dawn Watkins, the speedway guest services representative who took Cherms' ticket order by phone, could hardly believe her ears when she found out Cherms was calling from Iraq. Cherms used a Voice Over Internet Phone - or VOIP - to make the call.

"I was shocked when she told me that she was calling from Iraq," Watkins said. "I mean you must be some kind of race fan to call us from there."

Cherms, a resident of Abilene, Kan., volunteered to go to Iraq to be a part of the rebuilding effort in that country. She worked for the Department of the Army as a human resources assistant at Fort Riley, Kan., an Army post about 120 miles west of Kansas Speedway, before volunteering for temporary service in Iraq.

"I wanted to be able to say that I was there and, in some small way, that I helped the people move toward a better a life," she said. "It has been a life-changing experience here. It has given me such an appreciation for so many things that we take for granted back in the States.

She will return to husband Wade and their daughter next month, just in time for Easter. Cherms' husband is a former U.S. Army soldier and had also done a tour of Iraq.

Cherms has been a race fan for most of her life. She recalls growing up and watching most NASCAR events on ESPN. Her favorite drivers are four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, 2006 Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson, and Kansas favorite Clint Bowyer.

She's been to Kansas Speedway before, having attended an ARCA RE/MAX Series race, a NASCAR Busch Series race and an IRL IndyCar Series race there. She's also visited California Speedway for a Busch Series race.

"I love Kansas Speedway and the concourse, and the fact that it is two hours from home," she said.

Though she favors stock-car racing, Cherms said her husband has recently gotten her interested in Indy-car racing.

She has tried to keep up with motor sports while she's been in Iraq by watching televised events, but the time difference usually prevents her from watching. So she relies on the Internet and her husband's daily e-mails to keep her updated on series points.

The couple even shares their own version of a racing fantasy league to keep the season exciting.

"We each pick a driver that we think will win prior to the start of the race and then depending on the finish of our chosen driver, we get so many points. At the end of the season, the winner has to take the loser out to dinner and a movie of the winner's choosing.

"That was my husband's idea and I love it. It makes the races a bit more interesting to watch."

She thinks she's become a bigger race fan than her husband over time, and is excited that the two will get to share a season of racing at Kansas Speedway.

When she's not keep up with her favorite drivers, Cherms maintains the database for many of the Army Corps of Engineers projects taking place around Iraq. She tracks everything from repairing sewage and water lines, to building public health clinics and youth centers.

"It's not the biggest or most important job being done here, but it is an integral part of the process," she said.

Cherm's favorite facet of motor sports is watching the pit crews in action. She enjoys the speed and accuracy of the crews, and the "give-and-take that has to go on between the drivers to get 43 cars down pit road at one time."

"Lots of people who don't know anything about racing always ask me why I like it. They ask, 'Isn't it just a bunch of cars going in a circle?' And I always tell them that there is so much more to it — the competition, strategy, adrenaline and luck that goes into it makes it a great sport for me."

Cherms will resume her old job at the Southwest Civilian Personnel Operation Center at Fort Riley when she returns to the United States next month.

And she says she'll count the days until Kansas Speedway opens its gates for racing.

Kansas Speedway's 2006 season opens with the ARCA RE/MAX Series Kansas Lottery $200 Grand and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 on Saturday, July 1, and the IRL IndyCar Series Kansas Lottery Indy 300 on Sunday, July 2.