Joey Chestnut Wins Second-Annual Pacific Park World Taco-Eating Championship; Demolishes 82 Street-Style Carnitas Tacos In 8 Minutes

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Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

Oct 04, 2019, 18:39 ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The #1-Ranked Competitive Eater In The World, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, Calif., demolished 82 Pacific Park street-style carnitas tacos in 8 minutes to defend his title and retain the Major League Eating record at the second annual Pacific Park World Taco-Eating Championship on "National Taco Day," Friday, October 4, 2019, at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif.

The #1-Ranked Competitive Eater In The World, Joey Chestnut (L) of San Jose, Calif. and Gideon Oji (R) of Morrow, GA compete at the second annual Pacific Park World Taco-Eating Championship on “National Taco Day,” Friday, October 4, 2019, at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. Chestnut demolished 82 Pacific Park street-style carnitas tacos to defend his title and retain the Major League Eating world record. (Photos by Fabian Lewkowicz for Pacific Park)

Chestnut topped his own record from the previous year of 62 Pacific Park street-style carnitas tacos in 8 minutes. He joined 10 other top-ranked Major League Eating athletes from across the nation to converge in Santa Monica to compete for $5,000 in prizes.

Pepsi presented this year's competition in honor of "National Taco Day" with the goal of setting a new world record in the discipline for the number of "LA street-style carnitas tacos" that can be eaten in 8 minutes.

"Pacific Park's World Taco-Eating Championship is becoming the premier eating competition on the West Coast and continues to draw the top talent in the field," said Jeff Klocke, Vice President and General Manager of Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier. "We are excited to welcome our new presenting sponsor, Pepsi, who is supporting the efforts of MLE and Pacific Park to engage the top competitive eaters in the world."

"We are thrilled to be back in Santa Monica for the second-annual Pacific Park World Taco-Eating Championship," said Richard Shea, President of Major League Eating. "Leading MLE athletes are hungry for this title, and Chestnut will be hard-pressed to defend his title."

The Pacific Park 2019 World Taco-Eating Championship was held at Pacific Park on the legendary Santa Monica Pier with a background featuring the world-famous Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel. Rising 130 feet above the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Wheel has been featured in thousands of films, television shows and commercials, print and online ads, and social media posts.

Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier, LA's only admission free amusement park, offers 12 amusement rides, 14 midway games, an oceanfront food plaza and beachside retail shops. Major League Eating, the world governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 80 events annually, including the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y.