Maximizing the car's class rating by installing upgrades. If the tournament is rated A, make sure the rating for the car is exactly 800 (or like, a couple points below). While opponent cars scale based on your car's rating, you will be able to make your own car more powerful which will make the race easier for you.
Focusing on each car's launch attribute (and preferably AWD drivetrain) and then handling. Top Speed is not overly important unless you're in S2+ tourneys with long straights, which is only a few races here and there. Also, upgrade your brakes because they only use up a few points and provide a significant upgrade. How far you upgrade them depends on your skill level and the car.
Assists. Make sure you turn off some assists to increase your purse. You can immediately turn off the braking assist (go ABS On), steering assist (go Normal), full driving line (go braking only), stability control (off), damage (fuel and tire only). That'll give you a nice boost without making the car hard to drive. The AI is piss easy until Expert so make sure you're racing at Highly Skilled (or the one right below it) to maximize your earnings without it being too hard.
You can rack up some cash faster this way.
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fka cmc/blaze | #swag crew we're half awake in a fake empire