MLB sees ratings increases because they have starpower in Shohei Othani, Aaron Judge, and Paul Skenes, among others.
WNBA sees ratings increases because they have starpower in Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, among others.
F1 has starpower in Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, among others.
NASCAR's "superstar" is ... Chase Elliott, who is so boring, he makes Jimmie Johnson look like "Hollywood" Tim Richmond. And despite his status as the most popular driver, Bubba Wallace is probably the only name a casual sports fan knows.
Another problem is that nobody has a defining paint scheme anymore. Earnhardt had his iconic black car. Ricky Rudd had the Tide ride. Jeff Gordon had the rainbow car, then the flames. Mark Martin had the red/white/blue paint scheme. Now, the paint schemes are different every single week.
IMO, drivers not having a definitive paint scheme or definitive colors is a huge problem. You KNOW who the Dallas Cowboys are from their helmets. You know who the New York Yankees are from the pinstripes. You know who the Los Angeles Lakers are. Kyle Larson, Josh Berry and Joey Logano are the only cars that have a definitive paint scheme most races.
Also, the deal was signed with NBC, not VERSANT. Get these races off USA.