late to the 2wd game, what truck to buy

ok, i know i'm darn late to this. I want to race short course this season as i have no monster truck class in so oregon. (poor g2r is now shelf queen).

I bought a slash to apease a friend with a short course track. however, i'm tired of his whining and unwillingness to change or upgrade or even spend a dollar. I like to hop things up logically. Now i wanna be competitve at our local track (rpm hobbies medford OR). Seems like when i ask for advice locally it isn't always logical but seems to result in imenent sales for shops. ie i want the very best 2wd short course i can afford, not just what they have in stock. I'd rather not go rtr route as i don't want to replace everything from start. i know i wanna go brushless and gear it for track, so i don't care about doing 50 mph or whatnot. I want a track only vehicle. I've always been associated guy, and am somewhat satisfied with my brushless slash. how are the blitz, kyosho, sc10 trucks. Pros and Cons please,

some more of my q's
best ESC MOTOR combo (so far i'm thinkin mmp for esc)
TIRES- what works best sc wheels tires or 1/8 buggy setup?

i just want the recipe for winning, i know driving and tune have lots to do with everything, but thats a welcome challenge
sorry such long winded, thanks for the advice