Ok, I just would like to see it. Matt your around here somewhere, do you know any 2.6 trucks in our area makin 1k? With or without the donkey cover.
Hard to say because all the true numbers are hush hushed and/or fish storied.
Plus, you have variation in how it's being tested. To put a 12V on a engine dyno is straightforward, but those guys can only guess at the driveline losses, so the wheel HP is unknown.
Then the chassis dyno guys, some run the el-zingo spinny dyno, and you can get all kinds of high numbers from those, but yet these don't dominate on-track as much as you would think, based on the numbers, so I have a hard time buying in on those.
Now there are a few neanderthals who run load-cell chassis dynos, which I feel are the most accurate numbers, but those guys all keep their mouths shut.
And then the age-old "getting it to the ground" issue. Both setup and driver.
So, this is just my opinion: you get yourself a 2.6 truck that hooks great and has a smart driver and makes an honest 800 wheel HP, you will do a lot of damage. You may not win every hook, but a formidable points runner you will be.
I have never worried about the guys with the biggest numbers. They tend to break a lot of stuff, even if they put on awesome runs here and there.
What I worry about are good drivers with experience and solid equipment.