The 1989 edition took place under the SunBank sponsorship banner that had become synonymous with the Daytona 24-hour since the mid-1980s. The race attracted entries across the GTP, Lights, GTO, and GTU classes, reflecting the multi-class structure that characterised IMSA GT competition during its golden era. Daytona's demanding 3.56-mile road course — combining the high-banked oval with an infield section — tested reliability as much as outright pace over the full 24-hour distance.
Overall honours and the GTP class win went to the No. 67 Miller High Life/BF Goodrich entry, a Porsche 962. The car was shared by Bob Wollek, Derek Bell, and John Andretti. Wollek and Bell were seasoned Daytona veterans with multiple podium finishes between them, and their pairing with Andretti — who brought significant American racing experience — produced a measured, consistent drive to take the overall victory.
The GTP Lights class was won by the No. 9 Essex Racing Tiga GT288, driven by Charles Morgan, John Morrison, and Tom Hessert Jr. The lightweight prototype category had grown in stature through the late 1980s as a development pathway for both manufacturers and drivers seeking IMSA success at lower cost.
In the GTO class, the No. 16 Stroh's Light Cougar Mercury Cougar XR-7 prevailed, driven by Pete Halsmer, Bob Earl, Mark Martin, and Paul Stewart. The Mercury Cougar XR-7 had become a competitive platform in GTO competition and the four-driver lineup — mixing sports car specialists with NASCAR crossover talent such as Mark Martin — illustrated the breadth of IMSA's appeal.
The GTU class was won by the No. 17 Al Bacon Performance Mazda RX-7, driven by Al Bacon, Bob Reed, and Rod Millen. The RX-7 had established itself as a dominant force in GTU competition throughout the 1980s, its rotary engine offering a favourable power-to-weight ratio and mechanical reliability over long stints.
The 1989 race continued the Porsche 962's dominance at the top of IMSA GTP competition. The 962 had been the benchmark prototype since its introduction, and its victory at Daytona in 1989 underscored the model's remarkable longevity in a rapidly evolving technical landscape. For Derek Bell, who already held multiple Daytona 24 Hours victories on his record, the win added further to his reputation as one of endurance racing's defining figures of the era.
The multi-class format meant that battles played out simultaneously at different speeds across the field, with the overall winner often lapping slower class competitors multiple times over the course of 24 hours. This complexity, combined with the unique character of the Daytona circuit, made the annual race a fixture of global endurance racing calendars and a proving ground for machinery and driver combinations ahead of the wider IMSA season.