Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - Ryan Hunter-Reay and John Andretti managed to keep their starting positions, while Bruno Junqueira was bumped from the field for the Indianapolis 500 during the final moments of Sunday's Bump Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hunter-Reay, the final driver to make an attempt in a dramatic last-hour of qualifying, recorded a four-lap average speed of 220.597 m.p.h., good enough to lock up the 33rd and final starting position for the May 24 race.

"Luckily, we went out last," Hunter-Reay said. "We're running downforce levels right now that you wouldn't believe. We're so trimmed out. We are as trimmed as anybody that has here this month, and we're not in the 221's for some reason, but we made it into the show."

Alex Tagliani began the fourth and final day of qualifying in 26th-place, but several drivers improved their starting positions that put Tagliani on the bubble before Hunter-Reay made his last attempt.

Tagliani turned in a lap-average of 220.553 on his final attempt in Saturday's third day of qualifying, but Hunter-Reay was 0.44 seconds quicker on his last run, which bumped Tagliani from the field.

"The car was plenty fast to protect our position," Tagliani said. "I don't know the whole running around, get in line, get out of line. It's just at the end when it happened. We got bumped. There was no time."

Andretti, in a car fielded by Dreyer and Reinhold Racing and seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, struggled to find speed in his first two attempts on Bump Day, as he sat outside the starting field. But his final run at 221.316 m.p.h., coming in the last minutes of the six-hour qualifying session, advanced him to the inside of row ten (28th) on the grid.

"I can't imagine how embarrassed I would have been to call Richard Petty and have him ask, 'Where do you start?' and I don't (start)," said Andretti.

Shortly before his last attempt, Andretti received a text message from fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor and 1997 IndyCar champion Tony Stewart offering advice on his final qualifying run at Indianapolis. Stewart won Saturday's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Buddy Lazier, the 1996 Indy 500 winner, Stanton Barrett, also a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver this year, and Bruno Junqueira, the 2002 Indy 500 pole sitter, started the day outside of the grid.

After 15 laps of practice, Junqueira averaged 221.115 on his first and only attempt during the four days of qualifying, He had bumped Andretti and placed Hunter-Reay on the bubble after his run. Junqueira made the field, as he will start on the outside of row 10 in 30th. The Brazilian secured a ride with a ride with Conquest Racing this weekend.

"I have to thank the Conquest Racing team," Junqueira said. "They prepared me a good car, and I know my way around this place and know how to go fast."

Lazier failed to qualify after making the field for the Indy 500 each year from 1995-2008.

"I'm just very disappointed," Lazier said. "We just didn't maximize the opportunity. We just didn't have it here today."

Barrett also did not make the field in his first Indy 500 attempt.

"We gave it our all," Barrett said. "It's just a real bummer it didn't work out."

This year's Bump Day at Indianapolis saw positions change as high as row nine. Tomas Scheckter and rookie Mike Conway both advanced one position to 26th and 27th, respectively. Milka Duno and Nelson Philippe, another Indy 500 rookie, also moved up one spot each to 31st and 32nd, respectively.