No Kobayashi?

Have you heard the shocking news? Takeru Kobayashi may not be competing this year in Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th. Reports say that his mother passed away this past March. This would mean that the 6-time champ would not be able to defend his title on the most competitive year of his career. Recently during a qualifying round, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut downed 59.5 HDBs, destroying Kobayashi's record of 53.75 HDBs. (ARTICLE)