Take a Pro Stock car, pull off the tunnel ram and put a sheet metal 4bbl intake on there with a single AFB. I bet that combo would run in the 8's.

We've done some dyno testing with small carbs before and while the motor drops power, it still makes enough to push a car down the track plenty fast. A big motor might drop 100 hp when you replace a Dominator with a Holley 650, but that is still enough power to run 8's or 9's with a good chassis.