Nathan’s hot dog eating contest returns July Fourth — outdoors and with a crowd

America’s most delicious wiener war returns to Coney Island on the Fourth of July – outdoors, under the sun and open to the public – just like the boardwalk gods intended.

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest “is my Super Bowl. It’s my Indy 500,” competitive eating legend and miracle of metabolism Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, a California native, told The Post. “I can’t wait to be back in New York and do this the right way.” The competition began in 1916, when Coney Island frank-ophile Jim Mullen, an immigrant from Ireland, consumed 13 hot dogs.