Willingness alone was not enough. Martin still had to find a way to help his loved one.
Karl offered Martin a driver's contract, but Martin wasn't sure he wanted it. He came here as a replacement, for Paxton's convalescence, and if he had stayed longer, as a third driver, it would have sent the message that he was just waiting for Steve or Jacks to slip up. And neither Paxton nor Lambert needed their friend to become a rival who was panting in their backs. That would have been unfair to them, after what they had done for Martin professionally and in their private lives.
Of course, Steve dreamed of riding with Martin, but the guy always had bold fantasies. Martin was a class below Jack and he knew it well. He would probably never beat him in a fair fight, and he wasn't going to be to him what Don Alston was to Steve.
