BISBEE — It’s not often spectators at Bisbee’s annual Coaster Races see new cars roll down Tombstone Canyon.

But this year, four new cars will be at the race, with two of them coming from Oklahoma.

Race organizer Pat Porter said it was the first time drivers without any ties to Bisbee have made an appearance at the race.

“They found us online, and we mailed out the specifications,” Porter said. “These people are totally out of the blue. They’re coming from Broken Arrow (Okla.) with two junior racers, and planned a whole two-week vacation around it.”

Porter said the number of drivers this year is up to nearly 30 after Saturday’s trial run, which isn’t timed, when the racers were sent down the hill in 30-second increments to test out cars before the big run on July 4.

“Everything went very smoothly,” Porter said. “A lot of kids wanted to participate this year.”

Familiar faces will again be making appearances at this weekend’s coaster race. Joe Escalante, defending champion in the senior division, ages 13-16, will again ride “The Bomb,” while Raul Hidalgo will also compete in the that division. It will be the last race for both, since they will be too old to compete next year.

Dennis Cope and Audrey Yossem will again compete in the junior division, ages 9-12, where Dennis finished first and Audrey third last year.

“The coaster race is always the cornerstone of the Fourth of July celebration,” Porter said. “It’s going to be an exciting coaster race.”

The Ironman Footrace will again be held on Saturday during the intermission of the race between the junior and senior divisions. All runners who want to participate should be at the Ironman statue at 8 a.m.

Also during the intermission will be a new event, the Art Cars parade, put on by the SAM•POE Gallery in Bisbee. The parade will have 18 gravity cars coming down the coaster strip at a slow pace, showcasing each car’s creative body molded into different shapes, including a cigar, camera, snapping turtle and cash register and many others.

“They’ve done this before in other places and they wanted to bring it to Bisbee,” Porter said. “It should be very unusual and very entertaining.”