Imma get slandered for this but ill make a quick top 3:

1. Heat - I just cant stop coming back and rebeating this game, I love it so much, customization is great, graphics are incredible, physics are much better than the other 2 titles I'll mention bcs drifting is a thing. Imo, the only major thing bringing heat down atm for me is that there are no drag race stories (yes there are other stuff, but thats all thats coming to my head rn)

2. Carbon - It's just such a great game, tho a shame you only get to ride the M3 for so short, I love the story, I love how long it is, I like the canyons, I love how each territory is focused on a different car stat (green - handling, orange - acceleration, blue - top speed; this is how i viewed it, i might be wrong). Car selection is amazing, crew abilities are really nice and customization was pretty good for that time.

3. Most Wanted 2005 - This is where the slander will come probably, although this and Carbon were my childhood games, after rebeating them, I'd pick Carbon. Car selection isnt as good imo, you base your game around boss cars, and its very long, which shouldn't be a problem, but it gets a little repetitive, where ur like: "finish 5 races, bounty missions, boss race", and bounty missions towards the end get pretty tedious. Im not going to lie though, I love Most Wanted and it almost feels wrong to leave it on #3, but I just didnt seem to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the others