Therefore, if you call and get our answering system, please be patient – we will call back as soon as possible.

We are not part time header builders trying to supplement our income, this is our only job and for most of us it has been a lifetime endeavor. The top 3 fabricators have a combined total of almost 85 years in the header business.

A lot of new customers ask – Where did you learn how to build headers properly? Well, we did not learn by trial and error in our garages. We spent many years learning at the hand of the master – Gary Hooker. Since then we have continued to develop new header techniques and technologies. We have developed a good reputation in the industry and do design and consulting work for other header companies. We are also proud to have
been featured in many magazine articles and our advice sought by magazine technical editors.

We enjoy what we do and look forward to building a header for you!

Tom Dawson

Duties: Everything! Fabricator, accounting, purchasing, sales, billing, parts runner, inventory control, janitor … you name it!

Nicknames: “Tommy D”, “Header Guru”

Tom graduated in 1984 from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Operations Management/Marketing. He began employment with Hooker Industries in 1985. He soon realized that here was a need for custom header design and fabrication and opened Dawson Racing Headers for business in 1986. At Hooker Industries, he was quickly promoted to Design Department Manager, where he stayed until 1995. He then left to focus solely on the ever-growing business at Dawson Racing Headers.

John Brooks

Duties: Sales and Marketing Manager

John began his career as a Sales and Marketing Rep. for Cool Curtain in 1980. In 1983 he was promoted to Sales Manager and then General Manager in 1988. When Cool Curtain was sold in 1990, John accepted a position in Sales at Hooker Industries and was promoted to Sales Manager in 1994. He became Director of Sales and Marketing for Hooker in 1998. John was lured away from Hooker in 1999 by Jardine Performance Products / Thorley Headers and accepted the position of Sales and Marketing Manager for the Automotive Division. In 2003, John left Jardine to join the Dawson Racing Headers team as Vice President and Director of Sales.

Mario Avila

Duties: Shop Foreman, Fabricator

Nicknames: “Mr. Mario”, “ZZ Top”

Mario began his employment with Hooker Industries after graduation from high school in 1970. He worked in various positions at Hooker, including production welder, until his promotion to lead fabricator in the Design Department in 1986. He left Hooker to join the staff at Dawson Racing Headers in 1995.

Steve Scott

Duties: Fabricator, “shop cynic”

Nicknames: “That F***ing Steve” (sorry all – it’s the truth), “Doctor Steve”

Steve is also another former Hooker “lifer”. He also started right after high school in 1969 and during his stay was a production welder and later became lead welder for the Industrial Sales Department, where he became a certified aircraft heli-arc welder. During his time there he welded parts for the Stealth bomber and other military projects. Steve was transferred to the Custom Shop (a part of the Design Department) in 1986. His duties there were custom race header fabrication and later the design and fabrication of the Hooker “Aero” racing bicycle. This was a high tech all aluminum aero tubing race bicycle that was used by many top riders and several Olympic teams. Steve was later promoted to Design Department Manager in 1996. He joined Dawson Racing Headers later that year.

Jose Hernandez

Duties: Production Welder

Jose has been a welder all of his working life, having spent 10 years at Jardine / Thorley Headers. He came to Dawson Racing Headers in 2003. His duties include tube cutting. header fit-up, fixture building and all types of welding.

John Anderson

Duties: Bender Operator

John is a highly experienced tubing bender having worked for several leading header companies as well in the aerospace industry for the last 18 years. He joined Dawson Racing Headers in 2003.

Alex Dawson

Duties: Shop Helper, Fabricator Trainee

Nicknames: “Big Al”

Alex is the next generation fabricator. He learned to gas weld at the age of 10 (to the dismay of his mother) and knows how to use almost every piece of equipment in the shop. He works part time while in high school and during the summers.
I hope he becomes a doctor or lawyer so he can support me in my old age!