Joey Chestnut sets world record with 74 hot dogs Eating Contest .....

Joey Chestnut has won the 2018 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest — his third straight championship — and set a world record in the process. The 34-year-old Kentucky native stuffed down 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes on a sweltering day on Coney Island, claiming his 11th win in the past 12 years. He won by 11 hot dogs and buns.

Chestnut started and finished strong

Through the first quarter of the contest, Chestnut was finishing his 18th hot dog and bun, caught in a tight race with several other competitors, including 2015 champion Matt Stonie. But Chestnut separated himself over the next few minutes displaying unparalleled eating endurance. He kept up a pace of roughly seven hot dogs and buns per minute. All other competitors simply couldn’t keep up, and Chestnut opened up a double-digit lead about halfway through the 10-minute race. He continued to stretch the lead down the stretch at a ravenous pace finishing with 74 hot dogs, a dominant, 11-hot-dog-and-bun margin over second-place finisher Carmen Cincotti.

Chestnut’s dominance continues

In 2007, Chestnut shocked the world when he ate a then-world record 66 hot dogs and buns, unseating then-six-time defending champ Takeru Kobayashi of Japan. Since then, he’s been absolutely dominant, winning 11 of the past 12 competitions. The only time he failed to win was 2015. His 74 hot dogs this year break the record 73.5, also held by Chestnut.

Controversy at Coney

Originally, the count was 64 hot dogs, but Chestnut was adamant that he downed 74 in his post-contest interview. After a lengthy review, it was determined the counters missed a plate, and Chestnut ate 74, not 64. It’s a strange way to set a world record, but it’s a world record nevertheless. Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2017 results: Joey Chestnut wins 10th title Joey Chestnut was the champion once again, hoisting the Mustard Belt at the 2017 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut has eaten more than 70 dogs and buns six times. But he doesn't just devour hot dogs: He has the Major League Eating record in 54 different categories, including chicken wings (182 in 30 minutes), hard-boiled eggs (141 in 8 minutes), grilled cheese sandwiches (47 in 10 minutes) and Twinkies (121 in 6 minutes). Joey Chestnut proved once again that he’s the top competitive eater in the world by winning the 2017 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest while putting down an official 72 hot dogs over the course of 10 minutes, another personal best for him. Carmen Cincotti was at times within a few hot dogs of Chestnut, but he was unable to get the win, finishing with 62 hot dogs himself. Matt Stonie, the 2015 champion, finished in third with 48.

At the 2:30 mark, Chestnut had put down 26 dogs, with Cincotti right behind him with 22 dogs. Halfway through, Chestnut was sitting at 46 dogs, Cincotti was at 38, and Stonie was at 31. Chestnut was averaging just about nine hot dogs per minute halfway through the competition. Geoffrey Esper was gaining ground on Stonie by that point, and he was only one down on him with 3:30 to go. Chestnut’s speed dropped to just about eight dogs per minute at the seven-minute mark. Esper ended up finishing with 46 for fourth place. On February 2nd, 2011, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins fired up a proper, violent beef. By February 12th, 2011, the beef was done. So, how does something go from zero to sixty then back to zero in just 10 days?

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Chestnut has been the most dominant eater in the world for a long time, but lost to Stonie in 2015. That year, Stonie consumed 62 hot dogs and Chestnut went back to the drawing board. Last year, Chestnut dominated and put down 17 more hot dogs than Stonie, setting the competition record with 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Cincotti was a rookie in 2016, and put down 53 dogs in qualifying to punch his ticket this year. Takeru Kobayashi isn’t the big name he used to be, as he hasn’t competed since 2009 due to a refusal to sign an exclusive deal with Major League Eating. Kobayashi and Chestnut had a rivalry going, but this year, all the talk was about Chestnut vs. Stonie. On the women’s side, Miki Sudo put down 41 hot dogs to get her fourth consecutive victory. Sudo has been the strongest performer in women’s competitive eating since unseating Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas in 2014, and of course, was the defending champion going into Tuesday’s competition. The women’s competition was broken out into its own thing in 2011, and Thomas won the first three before being unseated by Sudo. The women’s record of 45 hot dogs in 10 minutes was set by Thomas in 2012. In 2016, Sudo won the competition with 38.5 dogs. The 41 dogs from Sudo marks her personal best in the tournament. Michelle Lesco finished second with 32.5 hot dogs, while Thomas was third with 30 of them in the contest.