1.   Drake Beam Morin, a firm in Stamford, Conn., that helps with career transitions, has even documented how easily these layoffs go down the hatch.

2.   Frederick Wodin, a former ballet dancer who is a vice president at Merrill Lynch, wittily explained his own career transition.

3.   Wanda Johnson knows about career transitions.

4.   With all of that going for him, why would Gordon even consider making the huge career transition represented by Formula One, or Indy-car racing?