When I say torque is a meaningless number I mean by itself it tells you nothing about and engine just like rpm. Like if I said I have two engine one made 600 lbs ft and the other one revs 10,000 rpm, first thing you would think there both serious engines but the 600 lbs ft one is a steam engine that barely turns 10 rpm and the other is a weed Wacker engine neither making more than a couple of horsepower. But if I told you there both big blocks it would give you a better idea of the performance but untill I tell you there HP you wouldn't know there true potential.
My purpose of writing this was to make people understand rpm is and equal force to torque and Torque doesn't move and or accelerate your car down the track and neither does rpm they do it together in the form of horsepower so horsepower is king.
So when a well set up 3000lb 600 hp 540 cid duster goes up against a well set up 3000lb 600 hp 340 cid duster both should be capable of the win.