You can also look at it from another perspective.....

You can run pretty fast with run of mill heads and cams if you know what to do with them.

As I remember it, there was an article in Car Craft..... 1984 I think ....... Pump gas 440 build done by Steve Bagwell.
6bbl pistons, pocket ported big valve 906's, Holley sd intake, 750 Holley....... Made right about 500hp.
It ended up being put in some pro street-ish Duster and ran 10's.
That was pretty fast for a build like that back then.