Yes they did miss the manual shift option - notice I said "not offering the VX with manual option." Saying a race truck counts as an "offering" is like saying that Ford offers a 1000 HP engine in their Taurus because they built a handful of NASCAR cars. I agree that not everyone wants a manual, which is why most manufacturers generally offer only 10-20% of their models as manuals, even in sports cars (the Infiniti G35 is a good example of that tactic). In this case they elected to go all in on one transmission type, which I think is a shame. I believe 10% of original owners might have opted for the manual option, especially given the opportunity to gain a few MPGs.
Also, the purpose of a manual is not exclusively (and certainly not primarily) for rock crawling. If anything a manual makes the on-street driving experience more fun for those that like a manual transmission. I doubt many owners will actually ever do this swap, but I do think those that do will really enjoy the change.