JOEY Chestnut will be noted for his absence at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4.
But it means the iconic annual event at Coney Island will have a new ‘wiener’ for the first time in almost a decade.
Chestnut has been disqualified from the competition over a row with organizers over a sponsorship deal.
Major League Eating took issue with the fact the 16-time champion signed a partnership with Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based hot dogs.
Instead, he is heading to Fort Bliss, Texas for a five-minute eating contest against four soldiers on an army base.
Chestnut’s absence is expected to result in a much more open competition, with four or five rivals having …