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no matter how many times I pulled it out and pushed the distributor back in, the rotor would end up cocked a few degrees away from the notch
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When you pull the distributor out, you have to turn the rotor before pushing the distributor back in or you haven't changed anything.
Get the engine back to TDC with cyl #1 on the firing stroke. Then get the rotor lined up with the notch and with the timing adjustment in the middle of its rotation slot.
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does anyone know what happened?
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By turning the distributor clockwise (they spin counterclockwise in 1980), you advanced the timing. If you also left the timing slot butted up against the mounting stud, then you may have been way advanced. The plug fires when the intake is still open and you get a pop and smoke out of the intake.
Do you have a pop off valve under the air filter to protect the air box from this?