By Chuck Corder

John Kevin Merritt has one mission he wants accomplished during race nights at Five Flags Speedway.

Despite his wiry and unkempt beard, the goal is certainly not to be mistaken as the missing link to the Robertson clan, the follicle-friendly family famous for reality-television’s “Duck Dynasty.�

And, believe it or not, Merritt’s focus isn’t always coming home with a checkered flag. In fact, firmly entrenched in his fourth full season of a quasi-comeback tour, Merritt is still seeking an elusive win.

Instead of stressing about victories, the 51-year-old Butler U-Pull-It Bombers driver affixes his eyes on enjoying the moments every time he unloads his black-and-blue No. 22 at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

“It’s all about having fun,� said Merritt, whose best showing has been several runner-up finishes, including one earlier this year. “When I quit having fun, that’s when I’ll stop. I’m not out there, trying to make a career outta this or move up a ladder. It’s a release and enjoyment at the same time.�

Currently second in the Bombers standings, Merritt has had plenty to celebrate this season.

He hopes the party continues Friday night when the Bombers return to Pensacola’s high banks alongside the Allen Turner Pro Late Models, Super Stocks and Sportsman.

The gates open at 4 p.m. Friday and admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, students and military; $5 for children ages 6 to 11; and free for kids under 6.

Merritt’s year got off to a roaring start. He basked in the afterglow of a second-place finish at March’s season opener. And the next time out, Merritt backed up his best-career finish with a third, and thus another trip to the podium.

But just when his fun-first approach appeared to be paying dividends, the racing gods interrupted Merritt’s merriment sometime in May. First, it was burnt plug wires. Then, the car just wouldn’t handle.

“You never know when the bugs’ll show up,� Merritt cautioned. “They don’t care how well you might be running.�

And they have no timetable for leaving.

Merritt thought he had shooed away the bad vibes June 26, the last time Five Flags hosted races. He was up front with the leaders, contending for another spot on the podium when a lapped car spoiled those chances, causing Merritt to wreck late in the 20-lap feature.

Disappointed, but undeterred from his main purpose, Merritt took the frustration in stride.

“That’s racing; things happen,� he calmly stated. “Sometimes, it can be frustrating a bit, but that’s the way it goes. You can’t hold any grudges. If you do, that’d make for a miserable life.�

Merritt’s laissez faire attitude is what led him back to racing.

Strictly a dirt-tracker during the early 1980s, Merritt abruptly stopped when his young family began to blossom.

But in 2011, with a divorce in his rearview and his three children grown, Merritt pondered racing again when good friend Rocky Boyd had a Bombers car that was collecting rust and dust.

“I asked (Boyd) because I wanted to have a little more fun before I was too old to do it,� Merritt said. “After 27 years of being off of it, I came back and went straight for asphalt.�

It was a surface he had never competed on. It was a whim Merritt intended to be a hobby for just a year. Instead, Merritt ended up purchasing the vehicle.

“Of course the bug bit me,� laughed Merritt, who operates his own plumbing business in Pensacola. “It’s pretty much a grind every time we’re out there. If you miss a setup with the car, it’ll effect you in a major way. You have to work at it.

“As time goes on, my memory gets a little more refreshed. The things I had forgotten after being out of (the sport) a while, they all start popping up again.�

Now, Merritt is getting to share those experiences with his son. Like his father before him, 29-year-old Josh Merritt is earning his stripes on area dirt tracks.

The two Merritt men help on each other’s cars, but John Kevin’s biggest support undeniably comes from his better half of 18 years, Diana Staggs.

“She’s the one who deals with the late hours and having people over at the house,� Merritt said of Staggs. “She’s certainly patient. I gotta give her credit there. She never gets fed up.�

In addition to her virtuous nature, Staggs’ cleaning business — Ms. Diana’s Scrub and Dust — serves as one of Merritt’s sponsors.

The Retirement Planners, an investment advisory firm located in Pace, has been instrumental in purchasing all of Merritt’s tires this season.

For all the fun Merritt has enjoyed the last four years, his greatest pleasure is knowing his parents, Al and Mary Barfield, have been along for the ride.

“Mom’s never been a fan of anything that’s dangerous, but they’ve hardly missed a race or anything over these last few years,� Merritt said. “That’s a shocker to me. But I think they look forward to coming and look forward to having fun.�

Mission accomplished.