Sports scandals are commonplace, and they frequently leave spectators with a bad taste in their mouths. Similar to this, a previous issue rocked NASCAR when owner Jim Rosenblum himself uploaded an offensive meme about the California inferno on the FDNY Racing Page on Facebook. Fans were incensed, and his team staff was in a difficult situation. As a result, there was instability within Rosenblum’s core management group. The NASCAR community and fans were disgusted, and Lyle Tolito, a key employee of Rosenblum’s, aired his displeasure on Twitter.
The wildfire in California has destroyed billions of dollars’ worth of private property and claimed several lives. Some people choose to post memes in an attempt to make someone laugh during a moment when the community is coming together to support one another and offer solace. The statement, which was posted on the team’s official Facebook page, made fun of California Governor Gavin Newsom for his management of the devastating 2025 wildfires. Reddit and Twitter have been discussing the now-deleted Facebook post. Given the seriousness of the situation—which resulted in the displacement of thousands of Californians and the destruction of many homes—many fans deemed it repulsive and disrespectful. Fans and other members of the NASCAR community were immediately drawn to the meme, and many of them flooded the comment section with anger and disappointment.
Rosenblum has not yet responded to the incident in public, but the post was up online long enough to generate a lot of negative feedback. The owner of FDNY Racing was chastised by fans of being insensitive, saying that it was unsuitable and callous to use such a tragedy for political commentary. Lyle Tolito, the team’s PR manager, used Twitter to apologize and try to contain the fury as it increased. Jim posted something repulsive on the FDNY Racing Facebook page, according to his initial tweet. Please ignore attempting to get him to remove it. This tweet demonstrated strong accountability and taking charge of one’s own destiny. When Tolito’s later tweets showed increasing annoyance with Rosenblum’s behavior, the debate grew more intense. Tolito denounced the meme and the FDNY’s lack of professionalism in a string of posts from the FDNY Racing owner. “I have no words. None. On my behalf, I apologize for Jim posting that on the FDNY FB Page. I got him to take it down but still, that post was absolutely disheartening and absolute bullshit 110%,” Tolito wrote.
The PR manager’s annoyance didn’t stop there. He continued by saying that this was not the first time he had experienced this. “I am utterly appalled and disgusted. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time, and I may be searching for a new squad,” Tolito wrote on Twitter. Rosenblum allegedly called Tolito and requested that he take down his Twitter apologetic tweets, which was the tipping point. “No, I won’t be doing that because it’s completely absurd and I’m not taking any responsibility whatsoever for your actions this morning,” Tolito said in response.
When Tolito wrote, “Have a good one and sayonara after Daytona,” it was a shocking last tweet. this attests to his leaving FDNY Racing. Fans are still criticizing Rosenblum, who says nothing in the face of the backlash. The post steered a lot of outrage on Reddit, as one user wrote : “This is what happens when you let Jim Bob run Facebook because he’s familiar with it while someone else runs Twitter and Instagram.” Pointing out that he insisted on running the FB page on his own because he understands the demography better.
“Probably someone forgot to switch back to their regular account where they share content like this,” someone else said. It is implied that Rosenblum’s political viewpoint is unquestionably his own, yet he neglected to switch to his personal account before sharing it. “It’s really sad to see them show their ignorance,” wrote one astute fan. When they post it, they find it humorous, but it has a significant impact on many of the individuals involved. It’s abhorrent, horrible, and really? Assigning blame? All of that is low class.
“Posting on Facebook in 2025 is problem number 1 for them,” one fan said, condensing all of this into drama and responding to it in the most humorous way imaginable. Taking note of how ancient that platform. Whether Rosenblum tries to turn this for good or just shove it under the rug, only time will be able to tell. Rebuilding FDNY Racing’s reputation is currently a difficult task. This controversy’s aftermath serves as a warning of the negative effects of careless social media use, especially in a time when supporters want accountability from the teams they root for.
