I see European guys with stick radios all the time. Its more than possible. I think it would be harder to operate a truck with a stick radio, but thats just me.

As far as US statutes go, the FCC has reserved certain frequencies for the use of R/C vehicles. The actual law regarding them is a bit more vague. For instance, you CAN use the 27mhz frequencies for air or land vehicles. So, there is at least one way you can use a stick radio for a car/truck. Or, you can get a 'tech' licence from the FCC to operate on 50 mhz. The test is stupid easy. I think that more than anything else the FCC just wants the name and address of people operating on that frequency. There are several companies that can sell you the necessary equipment to operate on that frequency. But I bet there aren't many tracks that will let you run at their events. There is also the spektrum module for the Blade CX. I bet that can be modified for use in a car/truck.

You can do it if you want, and its not all that hard.