Mini Fireball Camaro- Major tire shake  

Good to know but I don't code, so I am very happy with this plug and play option, lol

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AcVkwMPjTos.html

Cost, more difficult to mount, personal preference are the main reasons

Neither. It's a 1/8 scale rc speed controller x 2

I have had some success with ESP-32, and your standard H-bridge controller. You could probably also control a brushless controller with an Arduino or ESP-32. I like the ESP-32, because it has its own wireless protocol, called "ESP-Now", which works good for controlling a vehicle. It may not be appropriate for professional R/C use, though. Don't know. I haven't noticed any latency in testing. If you want data collection, an Arduino should be able to make sense of the sensor data. They have boards that will convert R/C PWM into PWM readable by an Arduino. So, you can hook up a receiver, send the control signals to the Arduino, and have it pass on the signals to the motors. Meanwhile, it can also collect data on the speed of the motors, the control values, and the steering values as well. If you used an ESP-32, it can transmit the data back to another ESP-32 module. There are also wireless modules for Arduino, that could probably accomplish the same thing.