I became a fan of chef Anthony Bourdain long after he stopped cooking and had become more of a television personality. I did read his book recently, “Kitchen Confidential,” which was got him out of the kitchen and onto our television screens.

Bourdain wrote the manuscript for “Kitchen Confidential” in the morning hours before he went to work, which would make a chef’s long day even longer. His book made it clear how much he loved working in a kitchen. He loved working on the line, but it was also obvious that this guy could write really well. That he wrote so well with ostensibly no training or years of toil was a bit frustrating to me, as a writer. He writes better than I can cook, something at which I have had no training, so you can see the source of my frustration. Nevertheless.

After his book had become a success and he had gone on to host television shows on CNN that had him trotting the globe, it was evident he still missed being in the kitchen.

“What I do miss, I tell them, and will always miss, is that first pull on a cold beer after work. That is irreplaceable. Nothing approaches that,” he wrote. “That single moment after a long and very busy night, sitting down at the bar with your colleagues, wiping the sweat off your neck, taking a deep breath, with unspoken congratulations all around — and then that first sip of cold, cold beer. It tastes like victory.”

I think I know how that feels, and it’s usually about this time of year, among others, that I get that feeling. We have just wrapped up the 2024 NASA Championships event, and though we don’t get the opportunity for all of us to sit at a bar together after the event, the feeling is every bit the same as it is satisfying.

The NASA Championships is a monumental task and it takes all of us at the National Office, plus staff and volunteers from around the country, and specifically the hosting region, to make it all work. If you had a hand in putting together the 2024 NASA Championships, take a bow. Suffice it to say we could not have done it without you.

As always, this year’s event was like drinking from a fire hose for days on end, and when it’s finally over, when the last stories have been written — 20,000-plus words on Speed News this year — there’s no satisfaction like it.

If you competed at the 2024 NASA Championships, take a bow. We really could not have done it without you.

I am confident it’s the same for all the competitors who are now sorting things out and reflecting on their experiences at the NASA Championships. The big fields make the Championships feel different from a regular regional event. From the elaborate opening ceremony to the global reach of the livestream broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday, drivers get to be part of something bigger than themselves. It’s NASA’s biggest stage, and it’s an honor to be part of it.

If you competed at the 2024 NASA Championships, take a bow. We really could not have done it without you.

“You look at each other with the intense camaraderie of people who’ve suffered together and think, ‘We did well tonight. We will go home proud.’” Bourdain wrote. “There are nods and half-smiles. A sigh. Maybe even a groan of relief. Once again. We survived. We did well. We’re still here.”

Well said, chef. And with that, it’s time begin work on next year’s event. I hope to see you in the Ozarks.