From what I understand, the series will be a part of the CTSCC and tour most of the tracks that IMSA runs.

Well, to be fair, we do have to give NASCAR credit where credit is due. It creates fast, close racing for a majority of its time and bumping isn't totally objected. Something you can't really get with open-wheel cars and a lot of touring car series don't generally allow car to car contact that isn't accidental. However, V8 Supercars, TCR International, DTM, BTCC, and many others have shown that you can have that same excitement on a road course when the "formula" is right.

The other thing is drivers in NASCAR are personal. You can approach most of them without feeling like you're beneath them. Most of the time, they will talk to you while giving you an autograph, shake your hand if you offer it, and say "thanks." I do think we can thank Richard Petty for setting that up as the norm when he was racing actively. He would take his time with a signature (even making it legible), talk to you as he was doing it, and stay until the last fan was gone and happy.

I feel like making drivers accessible to fans is a big impact on the success of the series in the US because we expect it thanks to NASCAR. Luckily, CTSCC and IMSA isn't so bad on this but could still use some slight improvements and is where many series could learn from our elder touring series. If TCR (the class and series) can not only make the cars relatable but the drivers as well, it's going to be hit but that will only come if the drivers are open and willing to interact with fans beyond giving them a signature. A personality wouldn't hurt, either.

I’d like to reply to each statement here.
“The target audience (state side) for any kind of racing is only shrinking. Gone are the days of growth. NASCAR is the only one pulling in the big bucks and even those guys at the top are scared about the lack of a younger audience.”
The younger audience isn’t interested in NASCAR solely because it’s their father’s sport here in the US. However, there is growth outside of NASCAR and Indy Car. The 24 Hours of Daytona saw an increase in viewership from 431,000 views in 2016 to 714,000 for this year’s running. The NHRA saw growth with 1.2-milling viewers during their opening round from 640,000 last year. Even for their Friday qualifying, ratings were above 195,000 for a 1pm show. In the Pirelli World Challenge, we’re seeing more cars with sponsorships than blank cars funded mostly by pay drivers. Honda, Audi, Chevrolet, Ford and others build cars that fit within the classes in PWC. Money is coming in but to solely focus on the audience losses in NASCAR is a narrow focus.

“Cars today have been replaced by the smart phone. Its no longer the big new shiny object it once was like in the 1950's to 1970's time frame. Auto manufacturers are also to blame for this. Push for safety over speed or anything fun.”
If there is anyone to blame for this, it’s government regulations made by people who are lifetime bureaucrats and not automotive engineers. They want cars that are harder to crush, full of air bags, but also expect unrealistic fuel mileages for such heavy cars due to heavier use of metals and safety equipment.

“Fuel costs keep spiraling skyward again another disconnect from mainstream masses.”
If you’re speaking of the prices in California, the prices are artificial due to taxes and a unique fuel blend. However, due to increased hybrid and EV use as well as an increase in shale oil production, oil and fuel prices are projected to drop in the next decade. Total SA is even predicting that EVs “will constitute almost a third of new-car sales by the end of the next decade.” - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/electric-car-boom-seen-triggering-peak-oil-demand-in-2030s

Also, if you’re worried this will derail because of expiring EV tax credits, most of the cost of an electric is in the battery and their costs have fallen a staggering thirty-five-percent. This is due to more manufacturers building EV cars and battery manufacturers increasing production due to demand. That tips the scales in favor of battery prices and EVs to the potential that an EV will be the same or rival the cost of a conventional ICE car. - http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108199_how-much-have-electric-car-battery-costs-fallen-this-much

“Baseball or hockey have far less issues and still are raking in money and fans.”
Baseball’s audience numbers have dropped as the sport’s audience has aged. In 2015 there were 73,606,675 people watching baseball in the US. In 2016 the number was 73,159,044, a drop of 447,631 people. Now, for a television audience, their numbers have increased. However, it wasn’t major networks like ESPN that saw that growth but the local and regional broadcast stations that did. Also, you have to admit the draw of the Cubs winning the World Series and the predictions of Back to the Future didn’t help draw a bigger crowd. There was also an election to ignore.

“Autonomous cars will doom this particular sport.”
Maybe in 30 years, but we’re not that close to a full autonomous car yet. They still have trouble with turning off a highway in most cases, right now. They are coming, there is no doubt as there is a demand for it, but until cars start talking to each other, older cars outlawed (which I really don’t see happening, maybe a lane exclusion at the most like HOV lanes), and the price of autonomous cars drop to where they are affordable to everyone, these aren’t a risk to our sport yet.

“I have enjoy IMSA or Grand-Am as it was once know by but the lack of manufacturers and push of GT4 is disappointing, Sequential gears box have no skill.”
One, you’ve never driven a true, dogbox sequential transmission. There is a finesse to driving one of these cars much like riding a motorcycle. You can’t slam into gear full throttle like you can in certain “simulations”, the throttle must be rolled into just like you do on a bike. Yes, there is throttle cutting that can be done by the PCM but that’s been around with h-pattern cars, too. You still must choose your shift points, brake into the corner, turn the steering wheel – you know, drive the car at its limit.

There isn’t anything easy about that. It really bothers me when someone says “’x’ makes that easier” when, if they really have been behind the wheel at some point, knows that’s not true or is just a bench racer with a little wheel setup behind their computer or entertainment system and never experienced the real forces that makes driving any car on the edge not easy. When you drive with your whole body and not with just your eyes, come back to me about how “easy” these cars are to drive.

Two, the push for GT4 is a push to production style racing cars for coupes and some sporting sedans. Take a read - https://gt4series.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GT4_European_Series_Technical_Regulations_2016_T02.pdf but I’ll give you the TLDR. Bodywork must remain original, cars must weight over 1000kgs (2200-pounds), engine remains as originally offered in the chassis, chassis mounting points must be original and must use original design (McPherson, A-arm, etc), dampers can only be two-way adjustable and not by the driver nor have any electronic, hydraulic, or pneumatic connection between them, wheels must be no larger than 18x11, and the safety cage must be an FIA approved construction with only six-points and none of the bars pass through the firewall. On top of that, PWC allows for roll cages with eight-points, but again must not penetrate the firewall. For more on PWC rules - http://files.world-challenge.com/rules-regulations/2017-PWC-TechnicalRegulations.pdf