Joey Chestnut to Defend 17th Nathan's Title Despite 180-Day Probation

5 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 21

July 4 will still feature Joey Chestnut in Coney Island after an Indiana court let the 17-time champion travel while serving 180 days of probation.
The probation followed Chestnut’s guilty plea on April 20 to misdemeanor battery over a March 21 bar incident in Hamilton County, where police said he slapped a man.
Chestnut had filed petitions to leave Indiana so he could compete in New York, keeping alive his bid for an 18th Nathan’s crown in 19 attempts.
The contest marks another high-profile return after he missed the 2024 event in a sponsorship dispute, then came back in 2025 to win with 70.5 hot dogs and buns.
He enters this year as the heavy favorite, coming off a 2026 Ultimate Bologna Showdown win in Tennessee with a record 16 pounds of sausage in eight minutes.

What undisclosed deal brought Joey Chestnut back to Nathan's after his controversial plant-based meat sponsorship?

On probation for battery, can Chestnut's new world record translate to an 18th victory at Coney Island this July?

What were the 'inappropriate things' said that provoked a world-famous eater to slap a man in a bar?