Joey Chestnut Has Eyes Set on 60 Hot Dogs

We're just 24 hours away from the 2007 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, and American Joey Chestnut is setting his sights high.

In an appearance on ESPN2's First Take today, Chestnut said he thinks 60 hot dogs is a realistic goal. That's five a minute, each minute, for the entire 12-minute competition. And it would break Chestnut's own world record of 59.5 hot dogs in 12 minutes -- and that last half a hot dog is always the hardest.

The real intrigue of tomorrow's showdown, though, isn't about whether Chestnut can break the record. It's about whether six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi, the best athlete in the history of the sport, can get over his jaw ailment well enough to compete. Even if Chestnut breaks the record, a Nathan's title in a year when Kobayashi isn't at 100 percent will always carry an asterisk in the minds of most competitive eating fans.

Previously at FanHouse:
Kobayashi Will Eat on Fourth of July
Hot Dog King Kobayashi has Jaw Arthritis
Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record
Kobayashi vs. Bear: 'He Doesn't Know It's a Competition'