CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR is considering a radical change to its point system that would create a 10-race championship chase between the top 10 drivers in the standings.

Reality vs. New Proposal

New proposal top 10, '03: 1. J. Johnson 1569 2. J. Gordon -55 3. Newman -113 4. Junior -200 5. Harvick -222 6. B. Labonte -400 7. Kenseth -411 8. T. Labonte -489 9. Busch -624* 10. Waltrip -714* *Would be top 10 finishers, whereas they weren't in '03. Actual top 10, '03: 1. Kenseth 5022 2. Johnson -90 3. Junior -207 4. J. Gordon -237 5. Harvick -252 6. Newman -311 7. Stewart -473* 8. B. Labonte -645 9. Elliott -719* 10. T. Labonte -860 *Wouldn't be top 10 finishers if new proposal were in place. --ESPN.com

The plan would lock in the top 10 drivers after the 26th race of the 2004 season. They would then compete over the final 10 races -- with their standings possibly being reset to zero -- for the Nextel Cup championship.

"The goal is to cast a bigger spotlight on the drivers in the championship hunt, specifically in the top 10,'' NASCAR spokesman Mike Zizzo said Tuesday. "This plan would let them battle it out and give us the drama of a playoff stretch like other sports.''

NASCAR hopes to make a decision concerning the points system by the middle of January, Zizzo said. The season-opening Daytona 500 is Feb. 15.

In studying the changes, NASCAR applied the system to the past 10 years and found it would have changed the champion six times. Jimmie Johnson would have won it this past year and Matt Kenseth, who was crowned champion last week, would have finished seventh.

There's been much debate over changing the points system this season because of the way Kenseth earned his first title. His Roush Racing team was consistent all season, racking up a series-high 25 top 10 finishes while winning just one race. Ryan Newman, meanwhile, won a series-best eight races but finished sixth in the points.

Kenseth's lead in the standings was overwhelming by mid-July, eliminating any drama over the second half of the season.

"These proposed changes in no way are meant to diminish what Matt accomplished this season. He was a model of consistency,'' Zizzo said.

"Every year we review the points system and really felt we wanted to look at some type of stretch that it really casts the spotlight on the championship chase at the time of the year we are going up against the NFL, Major League baseball playoffs, college football and the start of the NHL and NBA seasons.''