The new standard is about 6500 to 9000 rpm on most performance /high hp builds.The new vette is stock at 7100 rpm now ,with a 100,000 mile warranty,the highest factory rpm yet to date.I have read that the pulling trucks are regularly going into the 8000 rpm range and occasionally 9000 on the big block fords with a cast crank { a 1200 dollar scat or equivelant},stock block and heads and some good I or H beams.I have even heard some of the guys hitting 10000 on the big blocks when a clutch or driveshaft goes..........Theres little need to go that high on 95 percent of the builds because ,like Dave said torque moves you and theres little need for the high dollar parts when you can accomplish the same thing at a lower rpm and use that engine for along time.
High rpm motors are usually tore down on a regular basis and blowing them up is part of the norm.A big block is going to run strong and long at a lower rpm and do the same thing better and cheaper than high rpm stuff.The high rpm motors are also usually built for a specific purpose and because of rule restrictions ,such as formula 1 and mostly used in road racing .Big cubes and lower rpms is king on the street and the track going in a straight line and much cheaper to do.The big thing for me is safety,a 10000 rpm motor is going to exsplode like a atom bomb and destroy everything,a big block blowing up at 5 or 6 grand is going to be alot less devastating and less likely to happen.