Is the 383 a better engine, or does the 440 just have more displacement?

Surely do not remember such fast Mopars on the street back in the day. My '69 340 Dart 4-speed with headers and 4:10 gears only, got beat by only 2 cars that were Mopar. One was a Hemi RR, it took him 3 tries to get it done, I beat him the first 2 times, 1/4 .mi on the street. The other was a built '64 Plymouth with a 426 wedge.
I raced most all of Chryslers models on the street. What I am getting at, seems like a lot of fast numbers here for cars that were not that fast on the street.
Driving without a clutch is pretty easy, but then, I am a retired truck driver. Only used it when starting out or maneuvering.
Sorry, kinda got away from 383/440.