It'd be interesting to blueprint Bob's 79 spec motor and dyno it, I'd bet it was well over 800 hp but 9 would be pushing close to 3hp/Cube (assuming he was running around 315 cubes)
That arrow was really pulling in the higher rpm in every gear and his header primaries looked HUGE.

I wish there was more info regarding the development of the 48 degree block and who found the limitations of the 59 degree lifter angle. I'm thinking that it must first go back to the Trans Am days and Paul Rossi running the 305 Daytona in the 71 Daytona 500.

Also Petty was being pretty successful in NASCAR when the first went to the smallblocks in the mid 70's. Petty switched to GM because after 76-77 because he couldn't run the 74 Charger body anymore, it wasn't because the smallblocks weren't making competitive horsepower.