Do you have a CEL (the check engine light on your dash?). How bad is the gasoline smell and does it go away completely after driving it (or do you still have a strong smell of gasoline after you've driven it for a while)?

I've never had this happen so it could be:
a gas line leak
coil or wiring connection problem
distributor rotor loose
main relay (but normally only does that when its warm - you noted it did it when it's cold)