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Other than NASCAR and F1 there are no "popular" series. IndyCar draws about what TUSC does, and what else is even televised? CTCC and PWC on tape, and rallying and off-road on tiny channels (and also on tape.)
I'd bet out of 20 people randomly asked, not one could name an IndyCar driver more recent than Mario Andretti or AJ Foyt.
NASCAR went national in the mid-90s at a time when IndyCar racing still had some hold on the national awareness, so when it imploded, NASCAR's new leader Brian France (former ad exec) promoted the crap out of it and took over as the Nationally Noticed Racing Series.
NASCAR drivers were as unknown as any other kind of driver prior to that. But NASCAR used massive promo and the death of its competitor to insinuate itself into the public's awareness as "Racing"; apparently Americans cvan't have more than one "Racing" lerage, just as there can only be one top-tier baseball, football, or hockey league.
"Drivers are the stars versus "cars are the stars" was a part of what NASCAR did, but only a part. More of what NASCAR was run a lot of commercials, use the latest advertising technology and psychology, and aim not for motorsports fans, but for sports fans and their families, and even non-sports fans.
NASCAR actually has as much tech stuff in its broadcast as any other series, and a lot of the fans seem to be interested in the cars, as well as the drivers. it is that huge mass of non-racing fans which only care about the drivers (and the crashes) but ...
if IndyCar hadn't split in 1995, IndyCar drivers would still be the only pro drivers people recognized, and IndyCar would be on the biggest channels, and technology and diversity in IndyCar would be right up there in importance as it always had been.
"Drivers are the stars" sounds simple, but really, "Competition killed itself" is what happened. Until NASCAR alienates most of its fan base (which I don't see happening so long as they design races so that there will be ten-car wrecks regularly) I don't see any other racing series being more than a niche sport.
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