TIME TO EAT SOME DOGS TMZSports.com
Joey Chestnut is getting hungry ... telling TMZ Sports he's ready to "drop the hammer" in his big return to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest come July 4 -- and he's got an INSANE goal in mind.
We caught up with the world's greatest eater fresh off the news he would again be competing in the Independence Day tradition after a year away due to sponsorship drama ... and he's looking to make up for lost time.
"You have to go without something in order to know how much you appreciate it," Chestnut said.