Joey Chestnut Describes 'Perfect' Weather Needed to Break Hot Dog Eating Contest Record

There's a method to Jaws' madness.

Chestnut at Fort Bliss’ “Pop Goes the Fort” Fourth of July celebration last year. / Luis Torres/Special to the Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Joey Chestnut is the greatest competitive eater of all time. "Jaws,” as they call him, has won the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 16 (!) times, taken down the most HDB (hot dogs and buns) ever with 76—a record he set in 2021—and overall holds 55 competitive eating world records.

After a year off in 2024 due to a ban that came from a sponsorship with a Nathan's competitor, Chestnut will be back at it this coming Friday, July 4 at Coney Island—and has his eyes set on breaking his record of 76 dogs. He told Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast on Wednesday that he's "hungry" to get back to it, that it's "go time,” and even described what the weather would have to look like for him to have a chance at the record:

"76 [hot dogs] in ten minutes is a tough record to beat," Chestnut explained. "It's gonna be a hard one. It'll take perfect conditions. Not too hot. If it's windy, the hot dogs get cold. [You need] enough warmth—like 78 degrees, 75. If it's kinda dry outside, the buns get stale, so you need to have fast buns, warm dogs, and not too hot. Because dude, I'm getting older. I'm a little bit fat. Once I start sweating it's really hard. I'm in trouble."

Chestnut also shared that he's been tinkering with his strategy since his event with Netflix last year, which didn't allow him to dunk the hot dog buns in water.

"I learned that towards the end of the contest that it's actually a little bit easier to not dunk because there's less movement involved," he explained. "So I'm trying to plan it out so I'll make the switch. Sometimes I slow down bad when I'm dunking."

What a fascinating sport.

The 2025 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place this coming Friday, July 4 and will air on ESPN2.

---

More on Sports Illustrated

feed