A stadium truck is a small, off-road radio-controlled car

Radio-controlled car

Radio-controlled cars are self-powered model cars or trucks that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter...

, either rear wheel drive or four wheel drive

Four Wheel Drive

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive or just FWD, was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company by Otto Zachow and William Besserdich.-History:...

 and primarily intended for racing.

The construction of most manufacturers' stadium trucks, are similar to those of buggies. Most feature wheels and tires that are both larger in diameter and wider for increased ground clearance and improved handling and stability. The chassis of most electric powered models is constricted of plastic or a fiber/plastic composite

Composite material

Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...

 while internal combustion powered models typically have chassis made of aluminum.

Their appearance most closely resembles that of full scale trophy trucks and short-course trucks. The primary difference is that the tires and suspension components extend far outboard of the body, similar to open wheel race cars

Open wheel car

Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...

.

The name is derived from their full-scale counterparts, designed to run on a temporary offroad track built on a stadium field, much like stadium-based motocross

Motocross

Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

racing and exhibition.