Could be lots of things.

A carb smells like gas because the engine basically sucks gasoline out of it to run.

Is it the original carb? Have you looked into a rebuild?

Is the car getting spark? You can check that with a spare plug, connected to one of the wires. Ground the metal base of the plug to a grounded metal part of the car (like an exhaust manifold bolt) and you will see it spark. A timing gun will be easier if you have one laying around.

When was the last tune-up? Distributor cap and rotor, fuel filter, etc.

Just some things to think about.