Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2021: Joey Chestnut Tops Own Record with 76 Hot Dogs

Joey Chestnut cannot be stopped.

The GOAT of competitive eating added another Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest to his trophy case Sunday, eating a record 76 hot dogs. Chestnut previously held the record with 75 hot dogs eaten, which he set in 2020.

The American has eaten more than 70 hot dogs in each of the last six years. He's the only person in Nathan's history to touch the 70-dog mark.

Chestnut was on a blistering 90-dog pace the first half of the event before slowing down in the final five minutes. He faced no serious competition in the field.

Chestnut said the crowd helped motivate him to keep going when he began slowing down, a stark contrast to the 2020 competition, which didn't allow fans to be in attendance because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the women's competition, Michelle Lesco took home the pink belt with 30 3/4 hot dogs. That number is the lowest for a winner since Nathan's began holding the pink belt competition and almost 18 off the pace of Miki Sudo's 2020 total. 

Chestnut's 14 Nathan's championships are the most in history.