Ali needed Frazier before he could become Muhammed Ali. Takeru Kobayashi may need Joey Chestnut before the Japanese hot-dog eating champion truly realizes his destiny. The food phenom Chestnut downed 50 hot dogs yesterday in twelve minutes to qualify the Fourth of July showdown at Coney Island. Chestnut set the American record, and came within three-and-a-half hot dogs of breaking Kobayashi's world record. In recent years, Kobayashi has crushed the competition at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. But the one-man Empire of the Bun faces his greatest challenge in 22-year-old, red, white, and blue Joey Chestnut. George Shea, chairman of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, explains the significance of Chestnut's out-of-nowhere, amazing, eating performance: "The Fourth of July has been stolen from Americans because of Kobayashi's dominance and now America has someone who they can get excited about."