H-Bridge vs Mechanical Speed Controller
More advantages of using an electronic controller:-


Much finer speed control (mechanical controllers only have 3~4 steps)
More consistent torque and rpm at low speed (PWM provides better voltage regulation than a resistor)
Safer. Motor will not start if there is no signal.
More efficient at part throttle (resistors waste power!).


The L298N is an old design that is inefficient and much too weak for your motor. You should either use a commercial ESC designed for RC cars (eg. Tamiya TEU-105BK) or build your own H-Bridge controller with FETs rated for a continuous current of 80A or higher.