Dan Lewis, A Disabled Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet, Is Proud To Be Sponsored By K&N

Daniel Lewis is a disabled veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served in the U.S. Army Infantry as a driver and gunner of a M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle

When Daniel Lewis, a disabled veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, was looking to customize his 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T "Blacktop Edition" the decision to install a K&N air intake 69-2526TP was a no-brainer. Dan has been working with his tuner, and primary sponsor, Red Lion Motorsports in Flagstaff, Arizona for the last nine years. The owner of Red Lion Motorsports, Ben Therrien, describes his shop as a "Real one stop shop where you can get parts for a Model A or a Ferrari." Ben Therrien is a huge proponent of K&N air filters, and has been for over 40 years. Red Lion Motorsports sells approximately 3 million performance parts and accessories from over 2500 manufacturers, but Ben is never shy to recommend K&N.

Dan Lewis decided to use his experience in the U.S. Army Infantry and his love of military fighter planes, like the P-40 Warhawk, as inspiration for his 2014 Dodge Challenger

Early in 2015 Ben asked Dan Lewis if he wanted to represent Red Lion Motorsports (RLM) at the 2015 Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car event being held in Fontana, California. The hope was that Dan would also earn an invitation to the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) event held each year after the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Nevada. "When Ben asked if I wanted to be the next to represent RLM, of course I said yes," recalled Dan. A 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T 5.7L HEMI already packs a mean punch, but to make it a racecar it would need a few upgrades.

"The direction of the car was unclear at first," said Dan. He continued "We planned to do all the usual such as brakes, wheels, tires, exhaust, and a K&N air intake system. But we were clueless where to go from there." Dan really wanted to make his Challenger stand out from the crowd. Dan said, "I sat for days thinking of what I could do to this car to make it pop, make it different. Then it hit me." Dan Lewis decided to take his experience in the U.S. Army Infantry, as well as his love of military vehicles, and incorporate that into the build theme for his 2014 Challenger.

While serving in Iraq, Dan was the driver and gunner of a M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Not as heavily armed as a tank, an Infantry Fighting Vehicle is a type of armored fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct fire support. "Being on that vehicle made me feel alive inside and I would love to own one personally," said Dan. "Ultimately my passion is with airplanes and helicopters, like the P-51 Mustang, P-40 Warhawk, and so on. Hence the inspiration and design for my car." According to Dan "Along with being a tribute to one of the greatest fighter planes to ever blaze the sky, fight in WWII and in Pearl Harbor, it (the car) is as also a tribute to a friend and fallen brother in arms."

When Daniel Lewis, a disabled veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, wanted an air intake for his 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T 5.7L HEMI, K&N Typhoon air intake system 69-2526TP was a no-brainer

Private First Class (PFC) Robert L. Frantz, who died in combat on June 17th, 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq was Dan’s close friend and even briefly his roommate during his time in Iraq. Pointing to the door of his car, Dan said, "This is for him, his name is on the side of the passenger door as being my co-pilot, the tail number, like you see on fighter planes, is his birthday." Dan even hangs his fallen comrade’s dog tags from the rear view mirror inside his HEMI Challenger. "So with him (Robert) in the passenger seat, I feel he still ‘has my six’ and will be watching my back," said Dan.

Along with being a tribute to the P-40 Warhawk, one of the greatest fighter planes to ever blaze the sky, the car is as also dedicated to Dan’s friend and fallen brother in arms, PFC Robert L. Frantz

The 2015 Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car event being held in Fontana, California turned out to be a good experience for Dan, which is exactly what he needed. Dan was totally new to the Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA) competition format and managed a solid mid-pack finish in his class. Dan’s end goal was to qualify for the 2015 OUSCI at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and unfortunately his finish in Fontana wasn’t strong enough. While Dan may have been disappointed with his performance in Fontana, California, owner of Red Lion Motorsports Ben Therrien was not. Ben was very impressed with Dan’s finish considering it was his first time out, and that many of the other competitors have been following the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car series since its inception.

"We have the K&N Typhoon intake 69-2526TP and K&N oil filter HP-2010," said Dan. He continued, "So along with being sponsored by Red Lion Motorsports, Hurst Performance, Falken Tire, Optima Batteries, Wilwood Disc Brakes, APR Performance, Extreme Dimensions, Hellwig Performance, StrictlyHIDs, and Hollywood Customs LLC; we have the great pleasure of being sponsored by the best company with the best filters in the business, K&N."

Additional air intake system upgrades for Dodge Challenger models can be found on the K&N Air Intake Systems for the Dodge Challenger page. Or use the K&N Search By Vehicle tool to find additional K&N performance parts for other vehicles. Find an authorized K&N Dealer nearby using the K&N Dealer Search tool.