Start it there is a somewhat dim and sporadic explosive noise coming out of the muffler followed by the smell of gas

I had the car sitting in the drive way for about a year. I tried to start it yesterday. I changed the spark plugs, oil and cleaned the distributor cap. I placed the wires back into their respective holes, in the distributor cap. The car seems to want to start, it cranks, but the engine won't start. At times, when I try to start it there is a somewhat dim and sporadic explosive noise coming out of the muffler followed by the smell of gas. Please help. Thanks