@beardalaxy @LukeAlmighty Only racing game I've played recently is Dirt 2.0, in which the upgrading is very limited, because the racing is based on real life cars that actually exist and are not yours to upgrade. There is still some sense of progression as you move through the eras though, because the cars get faster and faster.
I suck with any car that has more than 150 horse power and have to mess with the gears to make the car slower and more controllable.