Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Sees Joey Chestnut Win Spirit of 76 – Deadline

July 4 means baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. For competitive eating champion Joey Chestnut, it particularly means hot dogs.

The annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest today saw Chestnut set a new world record, breaking his 2020 record of 75 hot dogs and buns eaten by woofing down 76 in the timed event. He ate 12 in the first minute, and sat at 70 with 40 seconds to go, but heaved down his final six to set the record.

Chestnut did this in front of a crowd at Maimonides Park on Coney Island, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. The event was televised by ESPN.

A heavy favorite heading into the event, The San Jose, Calif. resident easily beat second-place finisher Geoffrey Esper, who managed only 50 dogs. Third place finisher Nick Wehry managed to gobble 44 dogs.

Chestnut wins his 14th Mustard Belt for his efforts.

On the women’s side, Michelle Lesco won her first Nathan’s Famous Women’s Championship, as she finished 30 3/4 hot dogs and buns.

Chestnut makes an estimated $250,000 to $500,000 per year in competitive eating challenges and via sponsorship deals. He also has his own line of condiments for hot dogs, brats, sausages, wings and sandwiches.