Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2018: Joey Chestnut's Final Stats, Prize Money

Joey Chestnut is an unstoppable force of nature.

Well, perhaps that's a bit much. But he is one powerful eating machine.

He won his 11th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Wednesday, dominating the Independence Day staple by pounding down a record 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Jaws defeated second-place finisher Carmen Cincotti by 10 hot dogs, as Chestnut started with a fast pace and did not let his top opponent get close. Darron Breeden ate 43 hot dogs and finished third.

Many thought Chestnut would have a hard time approaching his previous record because of the heat at the Coney Island location, but it did not bother Chestnut.

"Oh, my God, I got in a vicious rhythm," said Chestnut, per Larry McShane and Mikey Light of the New York Daily News. "I was feeling good today. I think I get out of bed because I love to eat. I tried to have fun and enjoy the food."

Originally, it looked like Chestnut had ingested 64 hot dogs, but there was a miscount by the judges.

"Frankly, the judging was just off," George Shea, the longtime Coney Island announcer, told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "Joey said, 'Look at my plates,' and Carmen said, 'Look at my plates.' We counted the plates that they had eaten and it was 64 and 74."

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Miki Sudo defended her women's title by eating 37 hot dogs. While that was short of the 41 she pounded down in 2017, she easily got the best of second-place finisher Michelle Lesco, who ate 28 frankfurters. Juliet Lee ate 25 hot dogs and finished third.

Both Chestnut and Sudo earned $10,000 for their victories. Here's how the prize money was paid out.

• First place: $10,000
• Second place: $5,000
• Third place: $2,500
• Fourth place: $1,500
• Fifth place: $1,000

Chestnut broke the record that he had set in 2016 when he ate 73.5 hot dogs in a qualifier.