When mentioning foundational 2d driving models one simply can't omit Marco Monster (2003) [1].

Also Physics for Game Developers (2001) had a hilarious chapter dedicated to car racing simulation. Most of the chapter is dedicated building the scene in a minute detail - for instance pointing out that the center of gravity of the car will change during the course due to fuel consumption - only to simplify and cancel out most things at the end to leave the reader with just a handful of variables.

[1] https://www.asawicki.info/Mirror/Car%20Physics%20for%20Games...